Ghostly Whispers
by Florentine Dreams
Summary: Sophie Burke is going to Beacon Mental Hospital to receive treatment for a rather unique problem, she can speak with the dead. Soon after arrival, she encounters the dark figure Ruvik and is drawn into his chaotic world. As Sophie struggles to survive and secrets are revealed, Ruvik begins to wonder if perhaps Sophie would make a better ally than foe. (RuvikxOC)
1. Chapter 1

Just to warn everyone I haven't written for fun for a few years now so I am a little rusty but I couldn't resist writing a story about Ruvik after playing The Evil Within, he's such a neat character.

'_Dear Miss Sophie Burke,_

_As you requested my associate, Dr. Mayer, has informed me about your rather unique situation and I believe that I can be of assistance in remedying your mental state. At the moment I am currently busy with a rather special project but in a month's time I should be able to accommodate you. I strongly urge for you to stay at Beacon Hospital in the section for 'voluntary commitments' rather than seek outside housing as this will make it easier for me to treat you. Please contact my secretary, Mrs. Rowley, to make the appropriate arrangements. I am eager to meet with you Miss Burke and I am certain that together we can conquer your delusions. _

_Sincerely,_

_Dr. Marcelo Jimenez'_

Sophie put the letter down and let out an uneasy sigh, running a hand through her long, brown hair in frustration. She must have read those words a hundred times in the past month and as much as she wished they'd give her comfort or hope, they never did. But this had to work. If Jimenez couldn't help her then she had nowhere else to turn. For two years she has been traveling the country visiting countless psychiatrists, neurologists, and religious officials and so far none of them has been able to relieve her of her problem. Sophie, for whatever reason, could not only see but also converse with the dead. The professionals would all be skeptical of her abilities at first but that never lasted for long. How could they be when Sophie could accurately and with in-depth detail describe events and secrets from their past? Or, if a dead relative or friend failed to appear, how could she know the numbers or sentences that the doctors and priests wrote out of her line of sight to test her unless there was someone standing over their shoulder, giving her the answers? No, the skepticism never lasted long. Afterwards would come the fear and also the endless questions about the afterworld but never a solution to make it stop, never that.

That's why she was so hopeful about Dr. Jimenez. When Dr. Mayer had told her about Dr. Jimenez and his radical work she had been uncertain. She knew that Dr. Mayer was terrified of her ability and wanted to get rid of her so she thought he was just trying to pawn her off onto some sort of quack but, after a little research, it seemed Dr. Mayer was onto something with Dr. Jimenez. She'd read all of his papers about the mind and they were absolutely brilliant. The discoveries he has made about human consciousness are revolutionary and his theories, while ambitious, seem to be plausible. The theory that Sophie was most interested in was Dr. Jimenez's '_Individual Event Reconstruction'. _It's the idea that one can delve into someone's mind and successfully change or even eliminate a specific memory in order to alter the patient's psyche. And boy did Sophie have a memory she needed to forget.

She leaned back in her car seat and looked up at the gray goliath that was Beacon Mental Hospital. Would this be the start to a new life free from the dead or the end to her search for recovery? She wasn't certain she was ready for the answer. She had never been so nervous in her life. Her stomach was in knots, her hands sweaty, and her heart racing. But she had to brave because one way or another this was going to be the end of something.

"Why are you so eager to be rid of me, Sophie" A deep Southern voice inquired from the passenger seat. Sophie turned to her dear companion and guardian, James. He had been a Confederate soldier during the Civil War and had died from a bayonet thrust through his heart. James had started following her around about six months after she started seeing ghosts. She had been visiting a friend in Gettysburg, PA when she had seen him amongst a copse of trees. He was a handsome man with thick black hair and the darkest eyes Sophie had ever seen. At first he had only stared at her, the ghosts always stared at her. James told her it's because she gives off a different light then most people which draws them to her. Most will just stare at her but some will actually follow her around in some sort of grotesque game of follow the leader. That's when they would start talking to her. They always wanted her help. Some wanted their tale told, others had unresolved business they wanted her to take care of, and then there were the bitter and disturbed ones who would whisper horrible things to her in order to draw her into their misery. James was different. He never asked anything of her, he just wanted to help her. He was her guardian angel and he was the only person she'd miss if Jimenez was able to cure her.

Sophie turned to him with pity in her eyes. "I don't want to stop seeing you, James, you know that. I just can't take it. At first I thought I could manage, that I could help the dead move on to the next realm and still lead a normal life but it's impossible. There are just too many of them, and more and more people die every day. It never ends. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and take a shower without ten strangers watching me the entire time, constantly shouting at me and beseeching me to the point where I can't even have a cohesive thought." She reached out her hand to place it on his arm in comfort but immediately withdrew it, knowing her hand would just go through him. "I want to be normal again, James." She finished in a defeated voice. He turned to her, his deep black eyes meeting her own green ones with such sadness that it made her chest ache.

"I was lost for 150 years until I saw you, Sophie. I don't want to be lost again." She bowed her head, feeling the weariness of the past two years settling deep in her bones.

"Maybe I'll still be able to see you James, we have grown close over the past two years. Maybe that connection will withstand the treatment or maybe this won't work at all and we can continue on like we did before. But I have to try, James, I am terrified that I will slowly slip into madness from dealing with the dead all of the time. I probably would have gone crazy by now if it weren't for you. You have kept me grounded these past few years but your help may not always be enough. Please, please understand." She begged with tears in her eyes. He bowed his head and gave a slow nod.

"Fine, I will support you in this endeavor, even though it grieves me." Sophie gave him a grateful smile. Even when something pained him, he still supported her explicitly. What would she do without him? He had been good to her these past few years, escorting her to various appointments ensuring that everyone believed her by reading their concealed papers to her and occasionally throwing things off of walls and desks. He also guarded her from other ghosts as best he could, chasing off the worst offenders but they always managed to come back. He told her constantly that she had saved him. That before she had come along he just wandered the battlefields listening to the conversations of families and friends but, much to his chagrin, never being able to join in. He could certainly speak with other ghosts but the other dead tend to be very conceited and can't see past anything but their own problems. She had become his everything and he hers.

With that last thought she reached into the back seat to get her purse, a newfound bravery overtaking her. She climbed out of the car and locked the door and started to walk toward the imposing gray building when she realized that James was not following her. She went back to the car and opened the door to see James still sitting in the passenger seat.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked nervously. She really wanted James by her side for support.

"I wish to remain here for now," he said in a small voice, "I will accompany you when you return for your luggage, I promise." Sophie gave a small nod and closed the door. She could give him some time to himself, he deserved at least that much from her.

As she made her way to the side door of the building her nervousness only increased. She's gone into hospitals plenty of times before for treatment but she's never been this uneasy. Perhaps it was because she knew this was her last chance for normalcy? Maybe, but if felt more than that. Something felt off about the hospital. As she approached the gray door Sophie noticed something amiss, it was open. Sure, this was a side entrance into the administrative section of the hospital but surely there were laws about outside doors being closed at all times at mental institutions? She bit her lip and turned slightly to her car, considering returning to it. But seeing James there in his sadness quickly changed her mind. If she went back now she wouldn't have the courage to come back. So she slowly opened the heavy metal door, uneasiness filling her heart. The interior looked normal enough but no one seemed to be around.

"Hello, is anybody there?" She shouted down the empty corridor. Sophie cautiously entered the building while every fiber in her body told her to turn around and run away. But she was just being silly. This was only a hospital. Her footsteps echoed ominously through the empty hallway as she approached the first door in the corridor. _Mrs. Jane Rowley _it read, and relief instantly washed through her. Mrs. Rowley was who Sophie had to meet with. She knocked on the door and waited for a response but none came. Sophie started to become nervous once more and tentatively knocked on the door again. That's when she heard it. A woman crying. She pressed her ear to the door to confirm what she was hearing and sure enough someone was sobbing on the other side. This wasn't normal crying either, these were heart wrenching sobs that cut Sophie to her core. Not wanting to leave someone in such pain she twisted the handle and entered the room. At first Sophie didn't see anyone but the crying had become decidedly louder. That's when she noticed the crouched figure behind the desk. She made her way to the stooped woman, her heart beating wildly.

"Hello, Mrs. Rowley? Are you ok? My name is Sophie, I believe you were expecting me. Is there anything I can do to help you?" As she rounded the desk her blood went cold. A woman lay prostrate on the ground in a pool of blood, a gaping hole in her throat. The woman crouched over the body looked up at Sophie as she approached, revealing an identical bloody hole in her neck. Her nametag read 'Rowley'. Sophie had come upon Mrs. Rowley grieving over her own body.

"Wh-Who did this?" Sophie stammered, taking a step back from the slowly spreading gore at her feet. Mrs. Rowley's sad eyes seemed to look right through Sophie in her grief. Sophie had never been in a situation like this before and it left her numb. A small voice in the back of her head told her to call the police but she was too transfixed by the scene before her. That's when Mrs. Rowley's eyes filled with horror as she looked over Sophie's left shoulder. Mrs. Rowley could no longer speak but Sophie recognized the word that she mouthed in urgency 'Duck!' and so she did.

As Sophie's knees hit the ground she heard a whoosh of air above her and a loud 'thunk' as something slammed against the wall. She looked back behind her to see a man standing there, his left hand holding a syringe that was embedded in the wall. A syringe that had been meant for her head. He was tall and horribly scarred. He wore tattered white pants and coat and beneath a dirty hood Sophie could see a section of his brain exposed beneath a clear surface. What transfixed her though were his eyes. They were the lightest gray she had ever seen, so light that they seemed to melt into the whites of his eyes. But it was the anger within those eyes that held her attention. It was the hate there that scared her.

"How did you know I was behind you?" He inquired in a deep, gravelly voice, inclining his head slightly in curiosity. For a moment Sophie sat there motionless, stunned by what had just occurred. Where had he come from anyway? He took a step towards her, his gray eyes not leaving her green ones. "I asked you a question." He said, his voice noticeable more angry. Sophie shook her head slightly to shake herself out of her stupor.

She lifted her hand slowly to point towards Mrs. Rowley's body, "She warned me." Sophie answered in a whisper. His brows furrowed slightly. Whether it was in confusion or annoyance, she couldn't tell.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sophie. Sophie Burke." His eyes seemed to widen in what Sophie thought was recognition.

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events." He said with a smirk. To her astonishment, he disappeared for a second but reappeared, kneeling in front of her. She jumped in surprise but her back hit the desk, trapping her before this strange man. He leaned in close, the smirk still upon his lips, "I thought I had lost the opportunity to examine you, Miss Burke. This appears to be my lucky day," he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "You are mine now, to do with as I please." Her eyes widened at his words but she didn't have time to dwell on them as she felt a sudden pain in the back of her head, and everything went black.

Well, there's chapter one, I hope you all enjoyed it! Hopefully I will have chapter two up in a few days for you guys. Reviews are always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Thank you to the people who reviewed, it is greatly appreciated. For some reason my line to separate my Author Notes from the story did not appear on FanFiction. I am going to try a series of "X's" to see if those show up. I hope you enjoy chapter two!

Sophie awoke with a dull ache throbbing in the back of her head. She reached up a hand to tentatively touch her ailing skull and was relieved to feel a small bump but no blood. She groggily looked around at her surroundings and discovered she was still in Mrs. Rowley's office. She stretched her neck to look around the desk to check on Mrs. Rowley's ghost but nothing was there. No body and no ghost. Not even so much a drop of blood remained where once a pool had been. She furrowed her brows in confusion. Could she have imagined the whole thing? Was she, as she feared, slipping into madness? She pushed the disturbing thought to the back of her mind, she didn't have time to evaluate her psyche at the moment. On the plus side, it appeared the hooded man was gone.

She stood on shaky legs, grabbing the desk for support as the room swayed before her eyes. She leaned against the desk to gather her bearings, closing her eyes in contemplation. There was something missing. What was it? She opened her eyes in realization. There was no noise! For the past two years she has been surrounded by a cacophony of noise from the dead: tearful confessions, ugly whispers, cries of help. Now there was only silence. Not even so much as a ticking clock to fill the deafening void of nothing. Where were the footsteps of the workers? Where was the humming of car engines as they passed the building? Something was wrong.

Not being able to take the quiet anymore, she made her way to the door and slowly opened it, looking into the hallway. The coast was clear. She stepped out into the corridor, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She felt like she was being watched but no one was there. At least no one that she could see. She made a move for the exit but the loud creaking of a door stilled her feet. Her heart raced erratically as she slowly turned around to see the cause of the noise. A door was now indeed open at the opposite side of the corridor but no one had stepped through it.

"H-Hello?" She called out, her voice breaking from fear. She jumped at the sound of a dull thumping noise that drifted through the doorway. She should leave. She really should, but something drew her to that repetitive "thump, thump, thump." What if someone was in trouble? An image of Mrs. Rowley's still form shot through her mind and she knew that she couldn't just leave, she would never be able to forgive herself. She pulled out her phone, thinking to get the police involved if need be but, oddly enough, she had no bars in the middle of a city. She quickly ducked back into Mrs. Rowley's office and picked up the receiver to the landline but she was met with only silence. This was insane, had the whole world simply disappeared? She hung up the phone in defeat, it looked like she was on her own. Sophie scanned the room for anything useful. A heavy looking paperweight of a gargoyle caught Sophie's eye. She picked up the small but dense object and tested the weight in her hand. It was small but it would provide some semblance of protection. Now semi armed, Sophie made her way back out into the hallway and toward the noise. She wished that James was with her. He could take the lead and tell her what lay ahead, but he was still in the car. She could do this without him. No, she _had _to do this without him. If she truly was to be cured she had to learn to live again without James's constant guidance.

As she approached the open doorway the "thump, thump, thump" increased in not only sound but also in speed. The sudden change in the noise made her feel uneasy. She should turn back but she was only a step away from the open doorway. Taking a deep breath, Sophie worked up the courage to take the last step. Coming in full view of the room, her breath caught in her throat. On the opposite side of the office there was a doctor constantly hitting his head against the wall. A large smear of blood stained the wall where his cranium met the brick. She felt her stomach drop at the sight. This man was clearly insane. Could he be an escaped patient dressed in a doctor's clothing? She didn't want to find out. It had been foolish of her to come down here by herself. She could be on the road by now, safe and sound, if she had only left like she originally planned. Taking a cautious step back, Sophie made her way to the exit. She had had enough of this craziness. She was leaving. She took a few more steps when her legs froze. The sound had suddenly stopped and was now replaced by a new noise, footsteps and heavy pants of breath that sounded like angry growls. Sophie didn't look back, she just ran for it.

She was about fifteen feet away from the exit when she was tackled from behind, knocking the breath out of her. She collapsed heavily onto the linoleum floor, her ribs taking the brunt of the impact. Fear filled her mind with such intensity that the world momentarily turned black. Without thinking, Sophie swung her arm around with all her might. Hoping to God it made contact with the man clawing his way up her body. To her surprise, a spray of blood and the sickening crunch of breaking bone filled the air. The doctor went limp above her. She laid there stunned for a second before shoving the slumped figure off of her. Her breath came out harsh and ragged as she stared stupidly at the doctor and his crushed skull and then down at her hand. She still had the paperweight! That little gargoyle just saved her life.

She examined the still form of the doctor. His nametag revealed his name to be 'Harley'. He was a middle-aged man of mid height with a receding hairline that was specked with white and silver hairs. All together he wasn't a frightful figure. It was the large, throbbing veins running through his face and yellowed, bloody eyes that made him fearsome. She had never killed someone before. She didn't know how to feel about it, she just felt numb. Would she go to jail? Did he have family? Did he really attack her or was it all in her head? All of these questions left her feeling nauseous. She pushed the disturbing thoughts from her mind and pulled herself to her feet, a shooting pain going through her ribs. She let out a hiss of pain and grabbed her aching ribs, thankful that she still had her life at least. She continued her journey to the exit. She had to get to a medical hospital and contact the police. Either Sophie had completely gone bonkers or something was terribly wrong at Beacon Mental Hospital.

She only made it a few feet before she heard a sickening ripping noise. Sophie turned around to see, to her horror, that Mr. Harley's chest had burst open, gushing blood onto the pristine white floor. Even more terrifying were the multiple arms that stretched out of his body, their fingers tipped with long, sharp nails. Sophie bolted for it. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be. What she just saw broke the laws of science and logic. Could this be hell? Had that cloaked figure actually killed her?

Sophie burst through the exit as an agonized shriek came from behind her. She raced to her car but she had two horrible realizations. The first was that James was no longer there. Where could he possibly be?! The second was that she must have dropped her purse after Dr. Harley had tackled her, meaning she didn't have her keys. She ran past her car hoping beyond hope that whatever had come through Dr. Harley's body was not following her. She rounded the corner of the hospital and was dumbstruck by what she saw. There was a small group of people entering into an ambulance. She had never been so relieved in all of her life. She ran toward them, shouting at them to get their attention. They all turned to her in unison.

"Please! You have to help me!" Sophie yelled in desperation. She reached them, panting heavily from her mad dash. "We have to get out of here, NOW! Somethi-" she paused momentarily, she couldn't tell them what she just experienced, they would think she's crazy. "Some_one_ is chasing me, and they are extremely dangerous." There was a woman amongst them, a detective by the looks of her badge, and she stepped forward and nodded her head toward the city beyond.

"No offense, but we have bigger problems right now." Sophie knit her brows in confusion at the woman's brusque words but a deafening crash of metal and concrete interrupted her thoughts. Whirling around Sophie saw a building tumbling down in the distance, releasing a huge cloud of dust into the air. To her horror, it looked like it wasn't the only building. The entire city was in upheaval!

"Officer Connelly, take the wheel. We're getting out of here." The detective said, jumping into the back of the ambulance helping a doctor and a mental patient up behind her. Sophie wasted no time following them, she wasn't about to get stuck out here alone. She closed the door behind them but to her surprise they went in reverse instead of forward.

"What are you doing, officer?!" The detective shouted at the driver.

"Detective Castellanos and Oda are still inside. We have to at least attempt to save them." He responded, gritting his in teeth in concentration as he dodged the parked police cars in front of the building. Just as they reached the front entrance a man came running out of the door, severely limping as he did so. A loud explosion sounded right behind the ambulance. Sophie went to the back window and looked down, and down some more. Her heart jumped into her throat. The parking lot had collapsed into the ground!

"The ground is disappearing!" She shouted. A sudden shift of the ground behind the rear tires filled her with panic, "I repeat, the ground is disappearing," she shrieked this time.

"Get in!" The officer yelled to the hobbling detective, thankfully moving the vehicle forward. The male detective jumped into the front seat and they were able to pull off just in time as the rest of the parking lot crumbled away.

Sophie collapsed onto a nearby seat, never feeling so relieved in her life. She was still alive…for now. She looked out the window, the city was in complete chaos. It wasn't just buildings falling, some were actually _sliding_. How was that possible? There were also no people in the streets. Did everyone just happen to be at home during, what she assumed to be, the apocalypse? What was even more disturbing was that there were no ghosts in the streets either. There would always be ghosts. Even after humans were long gone, the ghosts would remain. Of that she was certain. Come to think of it, the only ghosts she had seen that afternoon were James and Mrs. Rowley. Was that what made her uneasy before when she entered the hospital, the lack of ghosts? The thought of James filled her with sadness. He had disappeared. She didn't think he abandoned her. Not him. Never James.

"Fine, fine…fine…" Sophie lifted her head at the repetitive word in curiosity. It was a young man saying it. He was clearly a mental patient judging by his white clothes. At first she thought he was an albino except albinos don't have black eyes. She felt bad for him. He was clearly in great distress and judging by his browned teeth, not very well nourished. She turned her attention to the duo who were comforting him. The female detective was young and beautiful with dazzling purple eyes but there was something cold and aloof within their depths. The doctor was middle aged and reminded her a lot of Dr. Harley except this doctor had a beard and was a bit darker in complexion then the doctor she had killed. That thought made her nauseous. She still couldn't believe she had just killed a man. But she _had_ to kill him. She didn't have a choice, he attacked her. Somehow that didn't comfort her. The doctor shifted as the mental patient became a bit more erratic and Sophie caught sight of his nametag, 'Jimenez'.

"Jimenez!" She exclaimed, not realizing she had spoken until the doctor turned toward her.

"Excuse me, miss? Do I know you?" She nodded her head in affirmation.

"Yes, my name is Sophie, Sophie Burke." His face paled. From the corner of her eye Sophie saw him move a metal briefcase beneath the seat next to him. 'What are you hiding in there, doctor?' She thought to herself. Whatever it was, she was determined to find out.

"I was not expecting you for another three days, Miss. Burke." He said, tension lacing his voice.

"Our first meeting was supposed to be in three days but Mrs. Rowley thought it'd be prudent if I came a few days early to get settled."

"Of course! Jane is always thinking of such things. She is such a thoughtful assistant."

"She's dead," Sophie blurted out, wishing she could take back the uncouth words immediately. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have announced it like that." She bowed her head in shame.

He shook his head, beads of sweat forming on his brow, "It's quite alright. I already assumed she was dead. I don't know if you saw but there was quite the massacre at the main entrance." She hadn't seen, she had entered through a side entrance. A massacre would explain the lack of ghosts. Ghosts could sense major events of death. They were drawn to catastrophe, it was like some macabre movie to them.

"I hate to interrupt your chat but don't you think you can concentrate on your patient _doctor_." The female detective's words made Dr. Jimenez blush slightly. He turned away from Sophie and turned his attention to the disturbed, young man.

"Leslie, you are safe. Please, calm down." Leslie. So that was the patient's name. She returned her attention to the back window but she was startled to see the hooded man in the reflection. He stood over Dr. Jimenez, looking at Leslie with a cold intensity. How did he get here? She whipped her head back to the cab but he was no longer there. She caught the eye of the detective in the front seat, he looked as confused as she did. Had he seen the man as well?

"Falling! Falling! Falling!" Leslie shouted. What was he talking about? What was falling? All of a sudden the tunnel they were driving through opened into daylight and the road disappeared beneath them. She had her answer.

I hope everyone liked chapter two! I am sorry there wasn't more Ruvik in this chapter. There will be a bit more of him in chapter three. Feedback is always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it's always appreciated! As promised, there is more Ruvik in this chapter.

X

Sophie awoke with a cool breeze drifting over her body, damp grass caressing her face. Once again she awakened to find herself in a strange place. She lifted herself to a sitting position, observing her surroundings. The ambulance was crashed nearby, the front half in flames, but she didn't see anyone else in the area. It was dark out but the flickering light of the flames allowed her to make out a small clearing. How long had she been out for? It must have been awhile for it to be nighttime. She rose to her feet and was surprised to find that she wasn't in any pain. She should be horribly mangled after being thrown out from the ambulance. The bump on her head and her bruised ribs seemed to have miraculously healed as well. Not that she was complaining. She needed a bit of luck after the day she just had.

She made her way to the burning ambulance and looked inside. Just as she thought, no one was there. Something shiny in the back corner caught her attention. It was Jimenez's suitcase! She scurried into the ambulance and grabbed it. Maybe now she could get some answers! She tried to pry it open with her fingers but it remained close. She squinted at the metal siding in the dim light and discovered there was a number lock on the case. It looked like she was going to have to find something to force it open.

Sophie did a quick sweep of the cabinets, trying to find anything useful before the flames engulfed the entire vehicle. The ambulance provided a magnificent hull of items: a first aid kit, various medical supplies, some water, a flashlight, and a book bag that must have belonged to an EMT. Satisfied with her findings she jumped out of the flaming wreckage, briefcase in hand, and into the darkness of the night. She turned on the flashlight and scanned the clearing. Which way should she go? A trail toward the side of the clearing caught her attention and she shrugged, deciding to follow it. It was as good a start as any.

She walked for a few minutes letting the past few hours play through her mind. She was trying to make sense of all she had experienced but she was drawing a blank. She kept going back to the theory that she was crazy. But wasn't there a saying that the insane couldn't know they were crazy? Or was that a myth? She didn't know what to think anymore. She just needed to concentrate on getting to some sort of civilization. Unless what had happened in Krimson City had happened everywhere. But she didn't want to think of that possibility.

Up ahead a light caught her eye. She smiled at the soft beacon and raced toward it. As she drew closer she couldn't help but feel disappointed as she realized that it was simple shack. She slowed her steps and then stopped completely when she saw what lay motionless in front of the small building, a man. She approached it cautiously, remembering the unfortunate outcomes of the last two bodies she came across. When she was about ten feet away she realized she recognized the unfortunate corpse. It was the police officer who had been driving the ambulance! Upon closer inspection she noticed the bulging veins in his face and neck. Just like the ones Dr. Harley had. Sophie hoped that didn't mean that something was about to pop out of his body too. She squinted as she noticed something staining his mouth area. She inched her way toward him, scared that he would pop up at any moment and grab her. She leaned in and flashed the light upon his face. Her stomach fell, his mouth was covered with blood. She looked toward the entrance of the shack and noticed a body in there as well, bite marks covering its neck area. A cold realization went through her. Dr. Harley would've eaten her if she hadn't killed him. She could be in someone's stomach right now. She shivered at the thought.

Sophie turned away from the grotesque scene, deciding not to search the small building for supplies. She didn't want to see the other man's injuries up close. She couldn't handle that at the moment. She wished James was with her. His calming presence left a gaping hole in her life. He may not be able to do much to protect her from any physical threats but he could do wonders for her state of mind. She still remembered the first day he approached her. It was her last day in Gettysburg and she was packing to head off to New York City to meet with a demonologist. She hadn't told her friend where she was going, she was too embarrassed to tell her. As she zipped up her bag she turned around to see James standing there. She had seen him following her around the past week but she hadn't given him much thought. There were lots of ghosts in Gettysburg, he was one of many. Just another nuisance to bother her. So when he appeared she let out a heavy sigh of annoyance and sat on the bed.

"So, how can I help you my good sir," she asked sarcastically, "Is there a long lost girl I need to find and exclaim your undying love to? Because I can tell you right now, she's _dead_. Everyone you knew is _dead_. Matter of fact, all those people you knew probably had kids and all of those kids are dead as well. It's been over a hundred years, it is time to move on!" She would regret her words later on but in the heat of the moment she didn't care, she had snapped. The dead had been unbearable during her time in Gettysburg. Half of them wanted her to talk to their loved ones and the other half wanted to describe their agonizing deaths on the battlefield. It was difficult to block them out and attempt some semblance of normalcy in front of her friend. It was emotionally draining. So when yet another Civil War ghost had entered her hotel room, she just couldn't take it anymore. There were so many of them and they were all so demanding. Matter of fact, there had been seven other ghosts in the room before James came in. Four of them were just standing there, starring. One of them stood in the middle of the room and repeated the same sentence over and over again, another spoke to himself in a rushed whisper, and a third sat in a chair near the door talking about how he took six days to die in a field hospital. James didn't respond to her outburst. That didn't surprise her. Many of them completely disregarded what she said and did. What was surprising was the pity she saw in his eyes.

"You look damned tired, miss. I think it's high time you rested," he said in his soft, southern voice. She was shocked. A ghost had never shown any interest in her wellbeing. It touched her in a way that she still couldn't quite describe. Relief? Gratitude? She wasn't sure, but the feeling was so pronounced that she started to cry. She couldn't help it, it had been a particularly rough week of pretending everything was ok, when it wasn't. She laid down on the bed and had a long pity party full of sobbing and blubbering before falling into her first restful sleep in six months. James had ushered the other ghosts out of the room and guarded her as she wept and then slept. He was with her every day since then, until now. BANG! BANG!

The sudden noise broke her reminiscing. Were those gunshots? She stopped walking and listened to the night air. BANG! BANG! BANG! There it was again! Gunshots. She ran toward the noise, it had to be one of the detectives. Or, so she hoped. She ran past a cabin with dead bodies strewn out on the front yard. One of them seemed to have been stabbed in the back of the skull but the other had definitely been shot in the face. She moved further along the path and came upon a small village and more bodies. She ran through an open gate and along a path, the gunshots growing louder. She had to be getting close now! She rounded a corner and came to a bridge only to see a swarm of zombies chasing after the male detective. He tried opening the gate on the opposite side of the bridge but to no avail. Left with no other choice, he kicked one of the undead in the chest and jumped over the edge, into the murky waters below. Should she follow him? Before she could give it another thought she felt an icy chill work its way up her spine. Someone was standing behind her. She inclined her head slightly and from the corner of her eye she spotted a tattered white coat and a burned, bare chest. It appeared the man from Mrs. Rowley's office was back. She tried to step away from him but his hands clasped around her shoulders like iron.

"Do you hear anything?" He rasped into her ear.

"What are you talking about?" She inquired, fear taking hold as the zombies started to lose interest in where the detective had disappeared into the water. They were going to turn around any second and come after her. She had to get away. She tried pulling her shoulders free, but his grasp didn't loosen.

"I am talking about them. What do you hear from them?" His hot breath against her neck sent a shiver down her spine.

"I don't know…growls, labored breathing. It's just a bunch of incoherent noises." Realization suddenly dawned on her. Did he think that she would be able to understand the zombies like she did with ghosts? She guessed it was a sound theory but she always assumed ghosts were souls of the dead, and zombies, presumably, didn't have souls.

"Are you certain? Listen closely." The zombies had spotted them and were now moving in their direction.

"Please, let me go," she begged, wringing her entire body in another attempt to break free but it was of no use. "I already told you it's only noise!" They were so close now. A female zombie closest to them was yielding a cleaver. She raised it up slowly, looking at Sophie with her yellowed, dead eyes. Sophie's heart stopped in her chest as the zombie stood there for a moment, cleaver raised menacingly in the air. Then, the woman let out a harsh growling scream and charged. The man let out a small scoff of a laugh as Sophie turned her head away from the approaching figure, squeezing her eyes shut. She couldn't do it, though. She couldn't watch that blade coming down to end her life. She heard the footsteps getting closer and closer. She could smell the decaying flesh of the woman now. It wouldn't be long. Then, it all stopped. Sophie opened her eyes to find herself in a small wooded room. Had he done that weird transporting thing again? He finally let go of her shoulders and she turned around to face him. Fear of him made her want to run away as far as possible but her anger towards him demanded she punch him in the face. Instead, she took the middle road and stood their seething. He had the gall to smirk at her.

"Who are you?!" She demanded, her heart still pounding madly from her close encounter with the zombie woman.

"I can't say that I am surprised. The chances of you being able to comprehend those creatures was slim." He said in a calm voice, ignoring her question. She was shocked.

"If you knew I wouldn't be able to understand them, then why put me through that?"

"A good researcher tests every theory. I didn't know for certain that you wouldn't be able to hear coherent thoughts from them, but now I do. Of course, further testing will be needed." Sophie paled, taking a step away from him. This man wasn't only crazy, he was cruel as well.

"What kind of testing?" She asked in a strained voice. Not entirely sure she was ready for the answer.

"Those creatures back there have all been absorbed into my consciousness and therefore have completely lost their own individuality. They are now nothing more than feral beasts. Fortunately, there are beings here who are still independent of me. Unfortunately, for you," he took a few steps toward her, a menacing glint in his eyes, "those entities are much more dangerous than what you just encountered." Sophie swallowed hard at his declaration. What could be more dangerous than a swarm of zombies? "But first, I would like to know what you are doing with that." He asked in his husky voice, his eyes darting down to Jimenez's briefcase in her grasp. Her hand tightened around the briefcase's handle. She couldn't lost it. It was the only clue she had to this madness.

"What does it matter to you?" She asked in a voice far braver than what she felt. He took another step closer to her, closing the distance between them. To her surprise, he lifted one of his burned hands to her head and ran his fingers through her long tresses. He watched the hair fall from his fingers, a strange look overtaking his gray eyes. It made her feel uneasy to have this strange man touching her in such an intimate manner. When the last strand fell he lifted his eyes to hers. Gray meeting green once more.

"I am curious to know what compelled you to steal it." Her eyes widened, how did he know that she took it without Jimenez's permission? She thought to defy him and not answer but decided against it. She didn't want him to do something sadistic, like drop her back with the group of zombies. She let out a sigh of defeat

"I saw Dr. Jimenez trying to hide it when he found out who I was. I thought it might have some answers." He smiled at her words.

"What a perceptive creature you are." He leaned in, his nose mere inches from hers. Heat seemed to radiate off of him in waves. A stark contrast to the brisk temperature in the room. "But are you certain you can handle what's in there?" She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his question.

"Why, do you know what's in here?"

"No, but I have a fairly good idea. I will say this, you were never meant to be his patient, you were meant to be _our _subject." Sophie inhaled sharply from surprise. Oursubject? So this man had worked with Dr. Jimenez? Most disturbing of all, what did he mean by subject? That certainly did not sound good. Before she could question him, he turned around and started to walk away. When he reached the door he stopped and looked back at her.

"Ruvik," he said, the word seeming to cling to the air.

"What?"

"You asked me my name. It is Ruvik." He turned back around to the door. "I would recommend you remain relevant to me, Miss Burke. You wouldn't want me to lose interest in you or your ability. That would not work well in your favor." He disappeared. Not through the door, but into the air itself. Just like the other times she had seen him.

His words filled her with aggravation and turmoil. He had left her with more questions than answers and she was more uncertain about her safety than ever before. At least now she knew for sure that Jimenez was not to be trusted. She really needed to get into that briefcase.

Deciding to see where Ruvik had taken her, she made her way to the door. She opened it slowly, meeting with more woodened walls and flooring. She must be in a cabin somewhere. Thankfully, there did not appear to be any zombies. She walked through the doorway and made her way to a balcony on her left side. She looked down into the courtyard to see a village full of zombies. This wasn't good. How was she going to get past all of them? Heavy footsteps on the stairwell put Sophie on the alert. She had to hide quickly. There were some crates nearby so she ducked behind them. She held her breath as the figure approached.

"My God, there are so many of them!" A male voice exclaimed. Her heart skipped a beat. She was filled with anger and excitement as she recognized that voice. Dr. Jimenez had just joined her.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! There will be quite a bit of Sebastian in the next chapter and hopefully some answers from Jimenez.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story thus far, it means a lot!

X

She was going to kill him. No, no that was a bit much. She still needed him for answers. Maybe a nice broken nose wasn't out of the question. Sophie wasn't a violent person in general but Dr. Jimenez set her blood a boil. It was his letter that put her in this predicament. She could look past that, being a rational person and all, if it wasn't for the fact that he had lured her to Beacon Mental Hospital under false pretenses. If what Ruvik said was true, Dr. Jimenez has had ulterior motives towards her since the beginning. '_Our subject.' _That's what Ruvik had said. Now Sophie was going to find out exactly what that entailed.

She placed the briefcase on the ground gently. She didn't want to approach Dr. Jimenez with it. He may try to take it away from her and it was the only clue she had to all of this craziness. She rose slowly from her hiding place behind the crate. The doctor's back was turned away from her to view the zombies below.

"Doctor Jimenez," she whispered to him. He gave a violent start and turned around, his face white from fear.

"O-oh, M-Miss Burke…It's nice to see a friendly face." He stammered out. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't jump to such conclusions but she kept her mouth shut.

"Doctor, I believe that we need to talk," she said in her best diplomatic voice possible, but she couldn't fully disguise the anger the welled up inside her. "I have some questi…"

"H-have you seen anyone else? I just lost track of Leslie but I haven't seen the detectives." Dr. Jimenez said, interrupting her. It was a weak attempt at changing the subject and she wasn't going to allow him to prevail. She approached the doctor slowly, purposefully. She felt like a predator stalking its prey.

"Matter of fact, I have, "she said in a nonchalant voice. "I ran across the police officer's corpse not too long ago but I have also encountered a very interesting man." Beads of sweat started to run down his face at her words, he wiped them away with a shaking hand. "He says his name is Ruvik." He let out a large rush of air, as though she had just punched him in the stomach.

"I-I've never heard of him." He said, turning his back to her. Avoiding her probing eyes. Sophie folded her arms over her chest. This man was a terrible liar. She hoped that he would retain that trait throughout their talk.

"We should find a way out of this place, Miss Burke," he said in a strained voice. Another weak attempt to steer the course of conversation to safer waters. She ignored him and continued on with her questioning.

"Ruvik seemed to know you, doctor. He claims you were partners and that I was to be your _subject_. Now what could he possibly have meant by that?" She asked him, anger lacing each word. He abruptly turned to face her.

"That man is insane! You cannot trust anything that he says, Miss Burke." She took a deliberate step forward, a sickly sweet smile overtaking her face.

"Oh, I have no doubt that he is not in complete control of his faculties, Dr. Jimenez. But I thought you hadn't heard of him." The doctor turned green at her words. Good. She wanted him to be uneasy. From the corner of her eye she could see the detective running through the courtyard below. She was running out of time. She decided it was time to cut to the chase. "I need answers, doctor. Why did you bring me here?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She slapped him.

"I am not a fool! I saw you try to hide your briefcase from me and you have been nervous and evasive ever since we met. From one human being to another I am asking you to be honest with me." He returned his gaze to the zombies below, conflict in his eyes. He let out a sigh and approached her, grasping her arm painfully.

"You have to understand, what we did was done in the name of progress. I didn't mean for it to go as far as it did but he went too far, _They _wanted him to go too far." They? Who the hell was they? He let go of her arm and he started to pace furiously. It was obvious that he was letting go of years of turmoil. "It started off simple enough. Some lives were lost but they were insane, they were no loss to society. So what was the harm? But I underestimated Ruvik's genius, his insatiable lust for knowledge. He started to experiment on normal people, people with lives. People who would be missed. He was drawing attention to our work and They could not allow that. So They allowed me to get rid of him. To turn him into the next great step in our project." The doctor's eyes were wild as he spoke. He looked half crazed.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" He looked at her with surprise, as though he had forgotten that she was there.

"You were part of the project. You were to be joined with Ruvik, after Leslie, that is." Joined with him? What on Earth did that mean? He walked back over to her and grabbed her shoulders, his nails digging painfully into her skin.

"I warned them after he was connected with Mr. Rankin. They didn't believe me, and now we are paying the price." A door abruptly opening and closing and loud curse words signaled the entrance of the male detective.

"Ruvik cannot get Leslie! Nothing is more important than this!" He whispered urgently. "If Ruvik gets him it will mean the end to all of us, especially you, Miss Burke." The woodened steps echoed ominously as the detective climbed the stairs, "Don't tell any of this to anyone! I don't know who works for Them. If They found out you knew anything of the project you may be killed…or worse." He stepped away from her and looked toward the stairwell as the detective entered from below. The doctor called out to him but the detective must have been spooked because he turned his gun on Jimenez.

"Don't shoot! We're living!" The doctor said. The detective looked the doctor and Sophie over before moving forward.

"You two were in the ambulance, right? Have you seen anyone else around?" The doctor nodded at the detective's inquiry.

"My patient Leslie ran through those gates," the doctor said, pointing toward the opposite end of the village. "I was chased all the way here by those _things. _I believe Miss Burke said that she came across the body of the police officer, isn't that right Miss Burke?" Sophie didn't respond, she was still trying to process everything that the doctor had just told her.

"Miss Burke?" the doctor asked again and Sophie snapped out of it.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"It's ok, I know Officer Connelly is dead. I had to take care of him myself. He turned into whatever those things are out there," the detective said, unknowingly giving Sophie a bit of a reprieve.

"I think you should take a look at this, detective," Jimenez said, indicating for the officer to follow him to the balcony. Sophie stayed in the main part of the building, contemplating her next move.

She would have to lose them, at least temporarily. She needed to get the briefcase open and take the contents without either of them knowing. After what the doctor told her, she knew there was no one for her to trust. One of the detectives could work for _Them_. Whoever the hell that is. There was a barn about two houses down, it had to have something in there for her to pry the lock open with. She just needed a way over there.

"One of us can lure them away while the other tries to get the gate open. You're the one with the gun…" Sophie heard the doctor say to the detective. That sounded like a good plan to get everyone killed.

"You can't be serious." Sophie said, finally speaking up.

"What's wrong with my idea," the doctor asked indignantly.

"A few things, actually. First of all, if you go out there whooping and hollering then you're going to make them all swarm around you. In case you haven't noticed, these particular zombies are very capable of running. Do you really want about twenty of those things chasing after you? Second of all, there isn't exactly a whole lot of room down there. You would have to double back to the gate and hope to God the detective has gotten it open by that time. Which brings me to my third point. One of those things is guarding the gate with a gun. He's also on a stairwell which gives him a pretty good vantage point."

"I can always shoot him." The detective said, trying to redeem their plan.

"Which would garner the attention of the zombies and make them come after you instead. I thought you would have learned that bullets are a no-no after your last run in with a group of those things." The detective's eyebrows furrowed at her words.

"How did you know I encountered a group of them?" He asked suspiciously. Sophie was taken aback. How could she be so stupid? She couldn't say that she was right behind him before Ruvik transported her. She didn't know if he could be trusted.

"I-I was on the other side of the embankment when I saw you run across the bridge. I found a boat to take across." She hoped to God she was more of a convincing liar than Jimenez. The detective nodded his head but there seemed to be doubt in his eyes.

"So what do _you _suggest we do, Miss Burke?" The doctor inquired, obviously miffed that his plan had been torn asunder.

"Well, there is a barn not too far away from here. How about we sneak over there, grab some rope, and then use a house close to the wall in order to climb over." The detective smiled at her words.

"That sounds like a good plan to me." He said, slapping her on the back in congratulations.

"The barn?" The doctor asked meekly, the blood draining from his face.

"What's wrong with the barn?" The detective asked him.

"Oh, it's just that…I think that someone should remain here. To warn the others in case those things approach them or to cause a distraction if need be." The doctor was lying again. Sophie looked at the detective through her peripheral vision. He seemed to be perturbed by the doctor's words.

"Sounds good," the detective said, his words clipped in irritation. "Take this, I am sure it'll prove to be distraction enough." The detective handed him a grenade. Jimenez's eyes widened from fear and surprise.

"Where on Earth did you get this?" The doctor asked, reluctantly reaching out to take the deadly device. The detective grinned at him.

"I found a bunch of them, actually. They were in a crate by the river." It was Sophie's turn for the blood to drain from her face. What if the doctor went looking for weapons in crates while she was gone? He might find the brief case. She didn't have time to move it though.

"Please keep a good watch while we're out there, doctor. I would very much like to _not_ die today." Sophie said, hoping that would be good enough to keep him from snooping around. Jimenez nodded and went to his post on the balcony. Sophie gave a nervous look towards the crate concealing the brief case before following the detective to the stairwell.

"What is your name? Given the circumstances, I'd feel a bit weird if I were to call you 'Miss Burke' throughout whatever the hell this situation is." Sophie brightened at his words. She may not be able to trust him but he seemed like a decent enough guy.

"It's Sophie."

"I am Sebastian, although I'd prefer it if you called me Sebs." Sophie smiled, even though he couldn't see it.

"Sebs it is then." When they reached the bottom of the stairwell he turned to face her.

"What kind of weapons do you have on you?" He asked, scanning her over with his eyes.

"Unfortunately, nothing at the moment." She said sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. She really hadn't seen anything useful besides some bottles, but those wouldn't do much for what they were up against.

"Here, take this." He handed her a hunting knife. The blade was only about five inches long but it'd do in a pinch. "I wish I could give you something better but I only have the one gun." Sophie shook her head.

"I don't know how to use a gun and, like I said before, I don't think a gun is a good idea around these creatures. They seem to be drawn to noise."

"I must admit, I am glad you're the one coming with me," he said, moving toward the back door, checking behind every corner for any stray zombies.

"Why is that?" she whispered, her heart racing as what they were about to do started to sink into her mind.

"That man is obviously a coward. That's not the type of person I want watching my back." They reached the door and he paused, his hand suspended in the air. He looked over his shoulder to her. "Are you ready for this?" Sophie swallowed hard, even though her entire mouth had gone completely dry.

"I am as ready as I'll ever be." With that Sebastian opened the door slowly, the hinges protesting loudly from the movement. Sophie couldn't help but cringe at the noise. It seemed to echo into the night air. She hoped this wasn't an omen for the rest of their little journey.

They stepped out onto the porch, no zombies in sight. That was a good start. They moved off of the porch and onto the ground, the soft dirt yielding gently beneath their feet. A soft wind drifted by Sophie bringing with it the moans of the damned and the stench of their rotting flesh. She tried not to gag as the foul smell filled her nostrils. It was a smell she would not soon forget. At least the ghosts had never smelled.

When they reached the back of the second house they realized they had a problem, the house went right up against the wall. They would have to go through the house. Sebs let out a curse at their predicament and turned toward her. His eyes widened and he moved to her quickly, tackling her to the ground. Sophie awkwardly craned her neck to look behind her. A zombie with spikes through his body lumbered by them. He was carrying a rather intimidating looking scythe. Sophie looked up at Sebs and mouthed "Thank you," to him. When the creature finally moved away, the duo stood and quickly brushed themselves off. That was a close one. They really needed to get themselves some cover. They made a beeline for the door. Sebs opened it slowly, thankfully this door didn't make a noise. About a quarter of the way through opening it, he stopped. He looked back at her and shook his head.

"How many," she whispered. He held up four fingers. Well that was a no go. He closed the door quietly. "I think we should just go for it from the front, the barn is right there," she said, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. They had to, though. They didn't have any more options. He looked doubtful but nodded his head. They crouched down as low as possible and made their way to the front of the building. Sophie's palms were sleek with sweat from apprehension, making it difficult for her to grasp her knife.

Sebs put his hand out to halt her when they reached the front. He looked both ways and gave her a signal to move forward. They moved as fast as possible to a haystack near the barn. They ducked behind it, both of them breathing heavily from their mad dash and fear. When they were certain none of the creatures had seen them, they started to move again. This time, they headed toward an outdoor stairwell connected to the barn. There was probably a smaller chance of zombies being up there.

As they drew closer to the barn a savage growl emanated from within the wooden structure. The primal noise filled Sophie with dread but based on the look that overcame Sebastian's face, she would bet it scared him even more. Did the doctor know there was something even more intimidating in the barn? Is that why he didn't want to come? That's when what Ruvik said came back to her. _'Fortunately, there are beings here who are still independent of me. Unfortunately, for you, those entities are much more dangerous than what you just encountered.' _Could the thing making that noise be one of those independent beings that he spoke of? Sebastian grabbed Sophie's arm and quickly hauled her up the stairs, casting nervous glances at the barn's lower entrance. When they reached the upper level he raced to the railing and looked below into the barn. Behind a wooden barrier, a huge man wearing some sort of mask was heavily chained to the walls. He shook himself back and forth, trying to break free of his metal shackles. So he was the one making those unnatural snarls. She didn't hear anything intelligible, though. Ruvik would be upset by that.

"I've met him before," Sebs said, pointing a wary hand at the creature. "Believe me, you do not want to get anywhere near that thing." Sophie didn't need to be told twice, that man down there was viciousness incarnate.

"Let's look around for the rope and get out of here. I think we'll be ok to split up on this level, it's open and there don't seem to be any of those things up here," Sophie suggested. Sebs frowned at her proposal. He obviously wasn't a fan of her idea.

"Ok, but we have to stay within each other's line of sight. I am only agreeing to this so that we can get away from that man before he breaks loose." With that, they separated. Sophie went to the left, there wasn't that much to see, just a small alcove. Sebs had the rest of the U-shaped niche to explore. Sophie approached a small workbench. There didn't seem to be any rope but something as equally valuable presented itself, a tool box. She greedily opened it and looked inside. There was a cornucopia of tools inside but the two that got her real excited was a hammer and a thick chisel. She now had a way into Jimenez's briefcase! She quickly put the items in her book bag and stood up. She looked over to where Sebastian was on the opposite side of the barn. He was looking down into the lower level with a sour look on his face. It looked like his search didn't turn up any rope either.

She started to walk to him with a gleeful bounce in her step, although she kept her face passive. She didn't want to share what she just found with him. As she walked past the doorway to the outside stairwell a loud 'thump' caught her attention. The sudden noise made her jump and set her heart racing. She cautiously moved to the opening and looked out into the night. There, collapsed on the upper landing, was a female zombie holding a large knife. It looked like someone had snapped her neck. She looked down the stairwell and out into the courtyard. No one seemed to be there. Who could have done that? She doubted it was Dr. Jimenez. Even if it was, why would he run away after he saved her? She rubbed her arms as she turned away from the dead woman, goose bumps forming on her skin. She was getting really sick of this strange place.

She closed the distance to Sebastian, the bounce now gone from her step.

"You found nothing," he said as more of a statement then a question. His gaze was still glued to the lower level.

"Unfortunately," she affirmed, following his gaze to see what enamored him so. There, right next to the caged man was a length of rope. "If you want I can go down there and get it," she volunteered. Even though the thought of approaching the figure in the cage made her heart jump into her throat with fear. He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"What type of cop would I be if I allowed you to go down there while I waited up here?" he said, giving her an uneasy smile. "Listen, in case something does happen, I want you to have these." He handed her three grenades.

"Don't you think this is a little overkill?" she asked, her voice full of reservation. He moved to a nearby ladder and started climbing down.

"Believe me, if you saw what that that thing is capable of, you would know that three grenades is not nearly enough." With that he disappeared as he started his descent. Sophie moved to the edge and watched his progress. The entrapped monster seemed to sense his approach because his howls and attempts to escape only increased in ferocity. Sebs jumped the last few steps and ran towards the rope. As his hand enclosed around the cord, a familiar shiver ran its way slowly down Sophie's spine. Her head snapped up to the opposite side of the barn. Ruvik was standing there, starring at her.

"Well, Miss Burke, can you understand the Sadist?" He asked, his voice coming out like a purr from deep within his chest. Her eyes darted down to Sebastian, he didn't seem to realize that Ruvik was there. She returned her eyes to the figure before her.

"No. I am sorry." She was sorry. Not because she knew it would upset him, but because of what he might do because of it.

"How disappointing. I expected more from you." He smiled at her over the vast expanse, raising his right hand into the air. "Perhaps, it is time for a variable to be introduced to this experiment." He snapped his fingers and disappeared once again. Below, the heart stopping noise of chains being ripped from the wall sounded throughout the barn. Sophie looked over the edge in horror. Sebastian had just reached the ladder but had hesitated at the sound.

"Move!" She yelled down at him. Just as a new and even more terrifying sound took over the noise of the loosened chains. The Sadist had a chainsaw.

X

I apologize that my chapters tend to follow a pattern of bringing Ruvik in at the end. I hoped that hasn't made them monotonous. I think the next chapter will be from Ruvik's POV but I am not sure yet. Please leave reviews or comments, they are greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again everyone! I decided to do a Ruvik chapter after all. I hope he isn't too out of character. Enjoy!

"I would recommend you remain relevant to me, Miss Burke. You wouldn't want me to lose interest in you or your ability. That would not work well in your favor." He left her then. Transporting himself to the roof of the building. So far everything was going better than he had planned. The only drawback was that he still had not fully recuperated from his excursion out into the real world. That particular venture had required a great expenditure of energy, but he had expected that. Giving himself physical form again, even temporarily, was not an easy task. He may be weakened at the moment but it would only be a matter of time before he regained his strength. Even now he could feel the power flow into him. When he was fully restored, that's when the real fun would begin.

"My God, there are so many of them!" Ruvik heard the doctor exclaim from below. He gritted his teeth in anger. _Jimenez. _That man was going to pay for his betrayal. The pain he put Ruvik through, peeling him apart piece by piece until only his most precious commodity remained would be child's play in comparison. Soon. Soon he would have his revenge.

"Doctor Jimenez," Ruvik heard a soft female whisper from beneath his feet. It seemed that the clairvoyant had ventured out of the room. She had been an unexpected gift. His main purpose in taking form again had been to obtain Leslie, which he accomplished easily enough. It was on his last run through of the hospital that he had found her. When she had evaded his blow she made him feel something that he rarely felt, surprise. When he originally read her case file he was wary at best. Many people claimed to have clairvoyant abilities. Although, from what he understood, it was rare for such people to try and stop their ability. Regardless if she was legitimate or not, the whole medical community was convinced that she was. If there was some decent photographic or filmed evidence he may have been more accepting. As it were, she had refused to be recorded in any capacity. Her file said she feared the public finding out what she was and making a spectacle of her life. It wasn't until about the tenth doctor contacted Jimenez to discuss her ability that Ruvik decided that he had to examine her. He found out who her current specialist was, a Dr. Mayer, and made sure that Sophie took an interest in Dr. Jimenez's work. Or, more accurately, _his work._

"He says his name is Ruvik." The woman using his name caught his attention. He listened intently to their conversation. To the medium's persistent questions and Jimenez's poor attempts to thwart her. The only thing that drew his attention away was when he noticed the detective entering the village. He couldn't help but smile when he heard the girl slap Jimenez. Soon Jimenez would get a lot worse than a mere slap to the face.

Ruvik wasn't surprised when the doctor started to reveal details of the project to her. Jimenez had grown soft over the years. He had been planning to cut Jimenez out of his research because of it but, unfortunately, Jimenez had acted first. Such a mistake would not be made again. The duos repertoire was halted as the detective joined them. After a bit of irrelevant chatter, the detective and Jimenez moved out to the terrace to discuss their course of action. Jimenez, of course, came up with his own ridiculous plan that he expected the others to follow. He had always been controlling. Always needed things to go his way. It was Miss Burke, not the detective, who pointed out the inherent flaws in his plan. She was an astute female. It was somewhat unfortunate that he was going to eventually kill her.

Miss Burke offered her own plan: get a rope and climb down the wall. It was a simplistic plan but a better one than Jimenez had concocted. Ruvik didn't miss the sudden apprehension in Jimenez's voice when the girl mentioned the barn. He must have heard the Sadist in there earlier. He didn't warn the other two, though. That was typical of Jimenez. He always left others to do the dirty work for him. Never giving them the full details, but always benefiting from their labors.

When the detective and the girl left the room he walked across the roof to watch them emerge from the back entrance. They moved cautiously, slowly at first as they stepped from the safety of the porch to the ground below. It was rather dull to watch them sneaking around but it was something to do while he recuperated. Ruvik felt something ugly arise within him when the detective dragged her to the ground, his body lying on top of hers. He knew that feeling. It was old and disused but he knew. He was jealous.

He guessed it was only to be expected. He had never been intimate with a woman. His injuries wouldn't allow it. They had never truly healed, leaving him in perpetual agony. Then there were the headaches. They were persistent dull throbs that encompassed his entire skull. Pain had been his constant companion. The only thing that could take his mind off of the agony was delving into his research. It was different here. There was no pain. Well, at least for him there wasn't. It had been a long time since he felt…normal. It only made sense that urges and desires would emerge that he was not able to indulge in previously. It didn't help that she was a fairly pretty female. He had thought her above average in appearance when they first met but dark shadows under her eyes, glazed over eyes, and a complexion drained of color detracted from her looks. When he encountered her again at the bridge he was interested to see the results a good rest had on her appearance. The shadows were gone, her skin took on a healthy glow, and her eyes seemed brighter. When he had touched her hair he was somewhat mesmerized by how soft it was, how it felt like silk falling through his fingertips. He glared down at the pair as they stood up and moved to the doorway of the house next door. He needed to keep his desires at bay. Now was not the time or place to act on them. When he obtained a permanent physical form he could sedate his lust and continue on with his life.

The pair quickly abandoned the house when the detective peered inside. Ruvik knew that some of his creatures were in there. The detective and the girl moved to the front of the house and ran to a haystack in the vicinity of the barn. They then started to move toward the barn itself but they stilled their movement, struck with fear, when they heard the Sadist's chaotic growls. Ruvik smiled. He liked to see their terror. Knowing that his world instilled it within them made him feel powerful. In control. Like a God.

The detective grabbed hold of the medium's arm and hauled her up the outer stairwell, disappearing into the barn. His heart quickened with anticipation. He was going to confront Miss Burke soon and find out if she could understand the Sadist. The result of an experiment always excited him. It was a necessary step to a result, to knowledge. From the corner of his eye Ruvik spotted one of his zombies climbing the stairwell. He made no move to stop her. Watching those two skirting the edges of danger bored him. It was time for them to face some physical peril. The female zombie waited patiently at the entrance, keeping to the shadows. While the individual personality of the creatures was lost, they did retain some of their more primal instincts. Such as lying in wait for their prey to cross their path. Ruvik watched the medium walk past some windows, approaching the zombie in the doorway. He noticed that she seemed particularly pleased with herself. Had she found a rope? The zombie raised her knife into the air, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. That's when Ruvik noticed something. This particular zombie didn't make any noise. Most of them growled or breathed heavily but no noise emanated from this particular creature. He had counted on the girl at least being aware of the creature's presence and then a fight to ensue but none of that would happen if the girl didn't know she was in danger.

Sure enough, the girl walked by the opening completely unaware that death lay hidden nearby. The zombie took a step forward, the knife starting to descend. A brief moment of alarm shot through him. She couldn't die. He still needed to confirm her abilities. In an instant he transported to the stairwell, broke the zombie's neck, and transported back. He kneeled down behind a chimney stack as Sophie came to the entrance to investigate. She looked nervous as she looked out into the dark. He watched with interest as she moved her hands up and down her arms in comfort. A niggling thought in the back of his mind made him wonder what her unblemished skin would feel like beneath his burned fingertips. He quickly smothered such thoughts. They were only a hindrance.

When the girl moved away from the opening he transported back to the landing. He watched her approach the detective, her eyes following his gaze down to the lower level. The desired rope must be down there. They exchanged a few words before the detective went down a nearby ladder. Ruvik stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the barn, his eyes fixated on the girl. She must have sensed his presence because she looked up at him.

"Well, Miss Burke, can you understand the Sadist?" He said, enjoying the fear that engulfed her features.

"No. I am sorry." She sounded sincere in her apology. He knew the odds of her being able to understand the Sadist were only slightly better than her chances of understanding the zombies. After all, the Sadist, while physically dead, was still very much alive in Ruvik's mind. He was, by no means, a ghost. He had to know for certain, though. He was not a man to leave such things untested. Even if he knew this was the most likely outcome, he did not inform her of that fact. Instead, he decided to have some fun.

"How disappointing. I expected more from you." He couldn't help but smile at her, he was looking forward to what he was about to do.

"Perhaps, it is time for a variable to be introduced to this experiment." He snapped his fingers and released the Sadist from his bondage. Ruvik retreated to a higher level of the barn in order to watch the unfolding chaos below. The Sadist started his chainsaw and the girl shouted down to the detective. The man clamored up the ladder as the feral beast burst through his woodened cage, the splintering of wood cracking like thunder. When the detective reached the top he saw the medium pull something out of her bag and toss it below. A few seconds later a burst of noise and dust exploded by the Sadist. So the girl had found some grenades. As the dirt settled, the Sadist remained standing, barely fazed by the weapon. Although, much angrier.

"Sebastian, I hope you have a lot of bullets!" He heard the girl exclaim. The detective walked over to a nearby bench and picked up a crossbow.

"I found this but there's not much ammunition," the detective responded. He moved to the top of the ladder and aimed the weapon below. He let loose the bolt and it hit the shoulder of the climbing Sadist. Once again, the creature showed little sign of being injured. With the Sadist drawing near, the duo fled to the stairwell and back out into the night. Ruvik transported himself to the roof of the barn.

"You get Jimenez and get to the rooftop over there," the man called Sebastian said, pointing to the house that rested directly against the wall. "Set up the rope and get across, I'll keep that thing distracted." Ruvik saw the girl give a shaky nod and sprint to the house where he had first brought her. The Sadist appeared at the top of the stairwell and let out an angry howl. The detective pulled out his pistol and shot the enraged creature until the click of an empty barrel echoed below.

"Damn it!" The detective cursed and ran to a far off building, dodging zombies as he ran. The Sadist ran after him, cutting down any of the other creatures who dared to cross his path. The Sadist's insatiable lust for violence had allows amused Ruvik. He had been an especially interesting specimen. The detective reached the stoop of a building but before he entered he turned around and fired a bolt at the Sadist with the crossbow. He missed and let out another curse before entering the building. Soon after, the Sadist reached the door and barreled through it.

At the opposite side of the clearing, Ruvik saw Jimenez leave the building and run to the house next door. The clairvoyant wasn't with him. What could she be up to? Ruvik watched with delight as Jimenez threw the door open to the cabin and let out an astonished cry. He turned around to run but tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. He crawled on his hands, trying to pick himself up to his feet as four zombies came out of the house after him. A zombie with an axe appeared in front of Jimenez, blocking his escape into the house where the medium still remained. Without any other options, Jimenez regained his footing and ran to the barn. The zombies close on his heel. Interested to know what had happened to the woman, Ruvik transported himself to the second story balcony of the building.

He should have known. The girl had Jimenez's suitcase on top of a crate and was trying to pry it open with a chisel and a hammer.

"Come on you stupid thing, OPEN!" She shouted at the stubborn object.

"Does yelling at inanimate objects make them do your bidding, Miss Burke?" Ruvik asked her in a calm voice. She whirled around to face him, fury alight in her eyes.

"I was yelling in frustration, I wasn't expecting this stupid lump of metal to actually listen or respond." She held the briefcase tightly against her side, as though she was afraid he would try to take it from her. He grinned at her impudence and idiocy. If he truly wanted that briefcase she would be of little consequence in his retrieval of it. He took a few steps forward to enter the building. He saw her wince slightly as he approached but she didn't relent her tight hold on the briefcase.

"I just witnessed something rather peculiar, Miss Burke." She looked straight into his eyes, an impassive look on her face.

"Oh, and what can that be?" She asked, her voice trying to remain calm but she couldn't quite conceal the trepidation from slipping through.

"I saw Jimenez run to the building next to this one and open the door with very little concern for the zombies within. It was as though he was not aware they were in there. Now, how could that be?" She tilted her head up and gave him a wry smile.

"Easy, I didn't tell him they were in there." He felt something akin to excitement run through him. Wasn't this a curious development?

"Really? Now why would you fail to mention such crucial information?" Anger flashed in her green eyes.

"When I came to get Jimenez I asked him whether or not he knew about that thing in the barn. He said that he had heard something fearsome inside but he didn't want to mention it in fear that Sebastian would make him go instead of me. Very gallant of him, no? So I told him to make his way up to the roof next door while I searched for weapons to help Sebastian. He failed to mention some vital information and so I returned the favor," she shook her head in disgust. "Sebastian was right, he is a coward. If we had known that thing was in there we could have searched for more weapons or bullets. We could have been prepared. Instead, we wanted to get out of here as fast as possible and so we entered a situation without knowing all of the threats. That's unacceptable." Her voice rose with her fury, the color rising in her cheeks and her eyes shining brightly. He decided she was lovely when she was angry. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of such thoughts. He transported himself directly in front of her. He heard her inhale a large gust of air when he appeared before her. Apparently the clairvoyant was still not used to his power.

"I enjoy seeing Jimenez scurry away in fear like the pathetic animal that he is. I believe that a reward is in order." He leaned down slightly, closer to her face. Her eyes widened as he drew near. She leaned away from him as he inclined further down.

"W-Wait I-"she stammered out, but the noise of the briefcase clicking open halted her words. She twisted her head around to see Ruvik's hand resting on top of the cold metal. He had barely touched it and it had opened. She turned back to him, her mouth agape.

"What did you think I was going to do, Miss Burke?" He asked, giving her a sardonic smile before disappearing.

He returned to his post on top of the roof. He soon heard the rustling of paper as the medium transferred the files from the briefcase to her backpack.

"That man is going to be the death of me," she said to the empty room. She was right, he would be. First, he would have to deal with Leslie. He was the next crucial step in this whole ordeal. Then it was Miss Burke's turn.

The crashing of wood across the village brought Ruvik's attention back to the Sadist and the detective. The detective was running to the barn again. He climbed the outer stairwell and when he reached the landing he turned around and aimed at the Sadist, shotgun in hand. So, the detective had found another weapon. The detective let loose the deadly shrapnel and disappeared into the barn. Below, Ruvik heard the screeching of a door opening. Ruvik moved himself across the roof and looked down in time to see the woman disappearing into the house next door which was now conveniently void of the undead.

Ruvik had enjoyed toying with her. He had to be careful, though. As he bent down, pretending a kiss was his intention, he found himself desiring for it _not _to be pretend. To actually feel her lips beneath his. This was disturbing. He had to find a way to banish such lustful thoughts. They would only impede him.

The girl soon reappeared on the building's roof. She ran to the chimney and quickly tied the rope around its wide girth. Once complete, she threw the length of the rope over the wall and ran to the opposite side of the rooftop.

"Sebs! Jimenez! I have the rope ready!" She yelled in the direction of the barn. She stood there rigid, like a statue, as she waited for the two men to appear. About thirty seconds later the men appeared, running at a mad dash. Ruvik noticed that they seemed to be limping. As they exited the barn the Sadist appeared on the second story. He let out a gurgled scream and waved his chainsaw above his head. The Sadist lumbered his way down the stairwell but by the time he reached the bottom, Jimenez and the detective were entering into the house with the rope. A bright flash of light engulfed the Sadist for a moment, temporarily bringing him to his knees. Ruvik cast his eyes back to the woman. She was pulling another grenade from her bag. Before she could throw it, though, the two men appeared on the roof.

"Wait! He's almost finished, let me take care of him. We might need that grenade later." The detective said through heavy, panting breaths. The detective leveled his shotgun at the weakened creature and fired off two shots, effectively killing the Sadist. "Let's get out of here." He said to her and they made their way to the rope. Ruvik noted that the doctor had already scurried down into safety. As the woman and detective disappeared over the wall, Ruvik transported himself down to the body of the Sadist. He stood there, looking down at the giant slab of flesh as large droplets of blood started to come out of the Sadist and into Ruvik's body. The Sadist was too fascinating a specimen to waste. He may come in handy in the future, so he decided to absorb his consciousness. As the last of the Sadist's body turned into blood and entered Ruvik, he turned to look at the wall. Wondering what his next approach to the medium and her ability would be.

I hope you liked the Ruvik chapter. There will probably be more in the future or at the very least chapters that will be half in Sophie's POV and half Ruvik's POV. I hope that Ruvik didn't seem too into Sophie. I hate it when a guy in any romance based story is way into the female character right off the bat. I did stress his physical attraction to her in this chapter only because I read on wiki that he's supposed to be 37 and I am assuming he's never had any sexual contact. So my thinking is that after such a long time with no intimacy that the desire would be pretty overwhelming when the opportunity presented itself. I don't know, what do you guys think? Again, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and reviews and feedback are always appreciated. Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone, I am back! I am sorry it has taken so long for me to update. Things got crazy with the holidays and work, so I didn't have time to write and edit. Hopefully, I can go back to the updating schedule I had before but it's up to the fates. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

X X

The trio stood below the wall, stunned and out of breath from their close encounter with death. Sophie leaned against the stone barrier, letting the coolness of the rocks to seep into her skin. The shocking chill against her heated skin felt nice and it reminded her that she was still alive. She looked at the two men before her. They appeared to have endured their encounter with the Sadist fairly well except for a limp they acquired while in the barn. She felt mildly bad for not warning Jimenez, he could have been killed because of her. Then again, Sebastian and Sophie could have died due to his own lack of information. Furthermore, the only reason she was here to begin with was because of him. She changed her mind. She didn't feel bad.

"How is everyone? Any injuries," the detective asked, sounding very much like the cop he was.

"I am fine. Just a few bumps and bruises," Sophie responded, looking at her surroundings for any signs of zombies on this side of the wall. She noticed Sebastian looking around as well, his finger close to his gun's trigger. "How about you guys? Why are you limping?"

"Well, _Miss Burke," _Jimenez said, seething with anger,_ "_after I got chased away by those things from the house where _you _sent me, I took cover in the barn. Then, the detective led that creature right to me and in order to evade it we had to jump from the second story of the barn!"

"Wait, you didn't warn him about the zombies in there?" The detective inquired, giving her a disapproving frown. She turned away from Sebastian and his reproachful glare in order to address Jimenez instead.

"I am sorry_. _I guess in the heat of the moment it slipped my mind. Isn't it strange how such things happen like that, _doctor." _She said, smiling through her teeth. The detective watched the discourse between them. He seemed to have caught on to the undercurrents of their conversation because he nodded his head at Sophie, giving her a significant look.

"Whatever happened in there is over. We need to look to the future now," Sebs said, taking control of the situation. "It looks like there's a gate over there. Maybe your patient ran through it." The doctor seemed to perk up at the mention of his patient.

"Yes, I have to find Leslie immediately. He is very delicate." The doctor rose from the ground and brushed the dirt from his pants, turning to walk toward the gate. Sophie and the detective followed him, although they left a bit of distance between them and Jimenez.

"Sophie, I think I can gather what happened in there concerning the doctor." Sophie gave him a cautious look of interest. "I think the doctor did us wrong so you did him wrong in return," he gave her a stern look. "That was very childish. Two wrongs do not make a right. We have to rise above pettiness in this situation." She winced at his words. She had had second thoughts about her actions as well but she stood by what she did. It may not have been morally sound but Jimenez had it coming. Besides, who was he to judge her?

"The doctor needed to be taught a lesson. If he thinks that he can get away with such impudence than he will continue to do it," she stopped to look at him, he halted his movements as well. "We find ourselves in a very unique and dangerous situation, detective. You were right, Jimenez is a coward. He needs to know that if he tries that again, there will be serious repercussions. I haven't gotten this far in my life only to be brought down by that sniveling weakling," she hissed at him. He looked taken aback by her words but he didn't back down.

"So you think lowering yourself to his level was the right thing to do?" His words filled her with rage.

"I am _nothing like him," _she said, eyes blazing. "He put us in danger out of cowardice. I put him in danger as a warning. Don't forget who followed you into that barn, Sebastian." She turned to leave but he grabbed onto her arm.

"I haven't forgotten, nor will I ever forget. I just…I just need to know that I can trust you despite what stupid things I may do or what Jimenez is bound to do again." She looked deep into his hazel eyes.

"I am _not _going to die here, Sebastian," she said in an eerily calm voice. "I will try to do what is right and do what I can to help but I won't let anyone actively endanger my life. If Jimenez becomes a liability to my safety then he will pay the consequences, whatever they may be." He nodded his head weakly and let his arm drop to his side.

"Is something wrong, you two?" The doctor asked, looking back at them.

"Everything is fine," Sophie quipped, storming off ahead of them in irritation. She was angry at everything. At the situation she was in, for Jimenez's cowardice, for Ruvik's mysterious and dangerous ways, at Sebastian's reproach, but most of all she was angry at herself. She knew that Sebastian was right. That she had acted irresponsibly and she had put someone's life in danger. But what really made her mad was the fact that the more she thought of what happened, the less guilty she felt for doing it. When had she become so calloused? So uncaring? No, she was a good person. It was just this place, this situation, and the fact that Jimenez was a very odious man.

From the corner of her eye she could have sworn she saw a flash of white cloth but when she turned her head to get a better look, nothing was there. She didn't doubt her eyes for a moment. She was certain that Ruvik was still following them. Had he heard Sophie and Sebastian's conversation? If so, he probably got a kick out of it. An image of him bending down toward her flashed through her mind. She put a finger to her lips. She had been convinced that he was going to kiss her. It had been a long time since a man had kissed her, well over two years ago. Even before she started to see the dead her love life had been very meager. She had been preparing to be a doctor and between the classwork, working at the hospital, and trying to maintain her friendships; she had no time for men. In a weird way she did find him attractive. It was obvious that if he didn't have the burns he would have been a very handsome man. It was more than that, though. It was the way he carried himself; his confidence and his intelligence. He also had the most astonishing gray eyes and the sexiest voice she had ever heard. It was too bad he was completely insane.

Sophie walked through the gate and saw grim buildings of stone in a small clearing. Thick fog clung to the air, drifting slowly in haphazard swirls. Sophie wondered what dangers could be lurking in that mist. More zombies, another Sadist, or something even deadlier? The doctor and Sebs soon came up behind her. The gate slammed shut behind them.

"Ah, the hospice. Leslie was being treated here years ago. He'd come here thinking it was familiar and safe," the doctor said, once again taking the lead.

"You know where we are?" The detective inquired.

"This is my brother's hospice. He will take us in."

"That didn't answer my question," the detective responded. Sophie looked around at the weathered buildings and the farm animals running about.

"What type of hospice is this?" She asked incredulously. She saw the doctor tense up at her inquiry. He ignored her question, not that that surprised her.

"Honestly, I don't know where we are. For all I know you're both figments of my imagination and I am losing my mind." Sophie let out a small mocking laugh. If this was his brother's hospice then how could he not know where they were? He was being shifty again.

"But I like to think I still have a shred of dignity left," he continued and once again Sophie scoffed at his words. He turned his head to glare at her, "I believe I have an obligation to my patient, Miss Burke."

"If only such sentiment extended to others, _doctor." _He crinkled his nose in disgust and turned back around, going into the hospice. Sophie entered the building warily, her eyes darting in every direction, just waiting for something to pop out at them. The inside was in even greater disrepair than the outside; plaster was peeling from the walls, trash strewn about the floor, and a thick layer of grim on virtually every surface. Sophie thought that she heard crazed murmuring but she couldn't be sure. Or, more accurately, she didn't _want _to hear any demented muttering. The doctor eagerly made his way to an open doorway, calling to his brother. Sophie and the detective followed him into the room. The doctor strode confidently forward, approaching a dark figure behind a curtain. The muttering had gotten louder and now she could make out the words "Peel it away…Skin…Itchy." For a moment she thought that a ghost must be in the room. It certainly sounded like their usual discourse. Sophie and Sebastian held back for a moment. Something was obviously wrong.

"Doctor wait..." Sebastian called out but the doctor ignored him.

"Valerio, I…" the words died in his throat. Sophie and Sebastian followed him behind the curtain and were met with a grotesque sight.

"Don't worry, the good doctor is here," a large man said, bent over a figure on a gurney. The sickening dull thump of bloodied flesh and organs hitting the floor made Sophie sick to her stomach. The hunched over figure rose up from his bloody work, rolling his shoulders back as he did so. He turned to the trio slowly. His face was a mash of sickly gray skin and peeled away flesh. His eyes were void of color but they seemed to have a light glowing within them. He snarled and charged at them. Sebastian raised his gun and shot the man in the head, he collapsed immediately. As the man hit the floor, the room began to shake violently. Sebastian let out a cry of pain and grabbed his head, falling to his knees from the agony. Sophie went to comfort him but a shimmering vision of the dead doctor appeared where he had previously stood, bent over the gurney. He was cutting up the man on the table. Unfortunately, the man was still alive. The poor man let out shrieks of anguish with each cut but the doctor was not moved by the man's pain. Sophie watched with revulsion as the demented doctor pulled out a key and put it inside of the screaming man's body and sewed him up. As he finished his work, the doctor started yelling about being itchy and he clawed large chunks of flesh from his head and face. Sophie looked on at the bloody scene in horror and disgust. What was wrong with him? Just as suddenly as it had started, it ended and the disturbing image disappeared. Sebastian's cries of pain stopped but he remained on the ground shaking.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. Sophie shook her head. She was at a loss of words. Had Ruvik created that vision? What other powers could he possibly have?

"H-How could he done that to Valerio? No…it couldn't be Ruvik." Sophie glanced over at the doctor. He was leaning against a wall and looking forward with a glazed look in his eyes. He was in denial. He knew this was Ruvik. He just didn't want to admit how powerful he was.

Sophie moved to the man on the table, she picked up a scalpel on a nearby tray. She knew what she had to do. The vision had made that clear. Sebs had done his part by taking care of the insane Valerio, now it was her turn to step up to the plate. She inhaled a slow, unsteady breath to prepare herself for what she must do. She inserted the knife at the top of the man's chest where the incisions began. The ease of the skin dividing beneath the blade made her feel uneasy. Human flesh was so weak. It could be so easily penetrated, so easily torn and destroyed. It made her feel so…frail. She thrust the blade downward, forming a gaping hole in the man's chest cavity. Sophie couldn't help but cough at the reek of his innards. He smelled like he had been dead for weeks. She looked down at the flesh hoping to see the glint of the key, but she saw nothing. Great, this was going to be unpleasant. Closing her eyes she plunged her hand into the man's body. The squishing sound of organs and sloshing blood made her want to hurl but she kept her composure. After what felt like an eternity, her hand finally wrapped around the small, metal object. As she lifted it out of the body, the man rose suddenly and let out a blood curdling scream, grabbing at her roughly. She shoved him away from her and ran over to Sebastian. The man fell to the ground, his innards spilling onto the floor. He was finally dead. That poor man. He had been through something truly horrific. Sophie moved to a sink and thoroughly washed her shaking hands and the key with cool water and a lump of soap. When she completed her task she returned to Sebastian and the doctor. Both seemed to have recovered from their various traumas.

"Are you feeling ok?" She asked Sebastian, concern in her voice. Even though they had had an argument she still cared for him. He seemed like a good guy and it was clear that he had a very clear line of what was right and wrong. She couldn't fault him for that.

"I am doing better now. It felt like my head was tearing apart. What was inside of that man?" She held out the key to him.

"This. I guess we should find out what it belongs to. It had better be something important because I did not go through that just to get a box of matches." She gave him a forced smile but he looked at her with confusion in return.

"You mean you haven't been to that place?" He asked her, refusing to take the key.

"What place? What are you..."

"AHHHH!" A sudden scream interrupted Sophie.

"That came from outside." Sebastian said, moving to the door of the hospice, effectively putting their conversation on hold. They walked out into the courtyard with caution, looking around for any signs of the disturbed young man. A scream emanated from a nearby building.

"Over there!" The doctor exclaimed, urging the detective forward to the house. It was obvious the doctor was wary about taking the lead when danger was possible, even if it was his patient's life at risk.

They entered the building cautiously. Just like the hospice, it was in great decay but there was something decidedly creepier about this particular building. Everything seemed to be covered in a red haze, as though the light shone through a sheen of blood. They came to a small room that looked like it belonged to some obsessive maniac. A lone, tattered chair faced a wall covered in hundreds of photos. Sophie was curious to know what was on those pictures but decided she was probably better off not knowing.

"Help me…Help me…" A small voice said across the room. They ran forward into an entryway on the other side of the room and found themselves in a dark room. Hidden in a corner they found the prolific Leslie. At the sight of them Leslie started to become erratic.

"Leslie! Thank goodness! Doctor Jimenez is here." The doctor said, moving forward to grab Leslie roughly around his middle.

"Wait, I think something is coming," the detective said, walking back into the room. Sophie remained in the dark room but watched Sebastian move cautiously to the door that they had entered. She hadn't heard anything and figured he was just being paranoid. Which was understandable, given their current situation. When the detective was halfway through the room the door suddenly slammed open but nothing came through. Sophie felt a pang of fear as she waited for something to happen. Out of nowhere Sebastian was thrown roughly against the wall. Sophie moved toward him but stopped as a man with tentacles coming out of his face suddenly appeared, choking Sebs. Where had he come from?! Sophie quickly moved to the other side of the room and grabbed a heavy candlestick holder and ran over to Sebastian and the tentacle man. She clasped the metal object in both her hands, raised it above her head and brought it down as hard as she could. The man let go of Sebastian and stumbled backwards, blinking back into invisibility.

"Crap, where did he go?!" She yelled, desperately looking around the room. She took several steps backwards, her heart beating furiously in her chest. She was going to die. How could she possibly fight against something that was invisible? As her back hit the wall she felt something grab fiercely at her throat. Out of shock she dropped the candlestick holder and grabbed at her throat in desperation. The man became visible once more and he leaned down toward her, as though he were going to kiss her. She tried to push him away with her left hand as she tried to remove his hands from her throat with her right. This seemed to anger him because he let out a harsh rush of air from his tentacled face before slamming her onto the ground. He straddled her hips and once again tried to move his face to hers, all the while still choking her. She was running out of air. She weakly tried to push him away but her strength was quickly leaving her. Blackness was starting to creep into the outer edges of her vision. It wouldn't be long now. She had to do something or else she would die. She couldn't die here, not like this. Not like this…

A loud bang filled the room and the creature's hands loosened from her throat. She greedily sucked in the dusty air as the man's weight completely collapsed on top of her. His tentacles grazed against her cheek as she coughed and gasped for air. Sebastian moved forward and rolled the creature off of her. She sat up and backed away from it, massaging her aching throat. A noticeable bullet hole was in the side of the creature's head. Sebastian had saved her. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you," she croaked out. He helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright? I am sorry I didn't get over here sooner, that thing knocked the air right out of me." He moved her hands away from her throat to have a look at the damage. "You're going to have some pretty nasty bruises, they're already starting to form, but you should be fine." She nodded her head at him gratefully, not wanting to speak at the moment. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and started to wipe at her face and hair. When he pulled it away she could see it was covered with blood and gore. A moment of panic seized her as she thought that it was from her but she quickly realized it was blood spatter from the creature. When Sebs was finished with his work he dropped the handkerchief to the floor and he let Sophie lean against him as they headed back to the darkroom. Her steps were slow and shaky, it felt like her knees were going to give out beneath her. She needed to sit down and regain her composure.

As they turned the corner and saw Jimenez and Leslie standing there a sudden, blinding anger overtook her. She pushed Sebastian away and moved forward toward the doctor. Her shaky legs almost gave out as she punched Jimenez in the face. She thankfully maintained her stance but he did not. He fell to the floor with a cry of pain, holding his bloodied nose in his hand. Her hand hurt like hell but she ignored the pain.

"Where were you?! We needed you!" She shouted at him, tears of anger and hysteria falling down her cheeks.

"I-I was protecting Leslie." He stammered out. She took a menacing step forward and he winced.

"He seemed to be doing pretty well for himself before. We could have died! Then what would you have done?! You stupid, stupid, cowardly worm!"

"Sophie listen…"Sebastian said from behind her in a calming voice. She turned to him.

"No, Sebastian. I refuse to be in his company any longer. We can take Leslie with us but not _him_! I have had it!"

"Sophie," he moved toward her and put his hands on her shoulders in comfort. "You know we can't do that. It wouldn't be right. He would die." She grabbed his hands and threw them off of her.

"Fine. Stay with him. But I am going off on my own. I would rather die because of my own mistakes then the cowardice of another." She went to leave the room but she realized that their surroundings had changed. They were no longer in the dark room but a long hallway.

"What the…" Sophie began but stopped when she saw who was at the other end of the hallway, Ruvik. What was he up to now?

"Ruvik! It is you." She heard the doctor exclaim from behind her.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance in your desire for some space, Miss Burke." Suddenly, the entire hallway seemed to shift and change around them, as though reality itself was being twisted. Sophie tried to run but she found herself flying through the air. An unknown force pushed her towards the back wall but instead of hitting it, she went right through. As she fell she couldn't help but look at Ruvik. He still stood in the same place, seemingly untouched by the chaos around him. She could no longer see his face but she could have sworn that he was smiling at her. She continued to fall, a black void slowly enveloping her.

'What is Ruvik going to do with me?' Sophie thought, before the darkness completely consumed her.

X X

I am sorry that this was basically a filler chapter but it was a necessary one. Next chapter will be a pretty big one: it will start off from Ruvik's point of view and then we get to finally see what was in Jimenez's suitcase! I am trying to make Sophie a bit amoral because I can't see Ruvik eventually ending up with someone who is completely good. So I figured making Sophie morally ambiguous in some ways (such as her dealings with Jimenez) would pave the path to their eventual romantic relationship. What do you guys think? Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I am very grateful that you took the time to comment. Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, you guys are amazing! As promised, it starts off from Ruvik's POV and we finally get to see what was in Jimenez's suitcase. I hope you enjoy!

X X

Ruvik stood above the girl as she slept on the hospital bed. She was so innocent…so weak…so beautiful. He raised his hand to touch her soft locks once more but he stilled his hand right above her head. It lingered in the air like an animal waiting to strike. He needed to fight such unwanted urges. Then again, this was _his _world and she belonged to _him. _So why should he tamper down his lusts and wants? Why should he resist? He lightly placed his hand on her head and allowed her hair to drift slowly through his fingers. He was briefly reminded of his sister's own long tresses but Laura's hair had been darker and thicker. It did not feel like strands of silk like this girl's did. He idly wondered what her hair would feel like against his cheeks…his lips…his chest. Such a deliciously attractive and annoying prospect. As his fingers reached her neck he couldn't help but frown at the dark bruises that graced her skin. He needed to be more careful. She was a valuable asset and he could no longer put her safety to chance. He had made the necessary arrangements to keep Leslie safe on his journey to the light house but giving two people such protection, especially in his weakened state, would be troublesome. He would have to put the girl somewhere safe until it was time to properly examine and experiment on her.

He allowed his hand to graze against the bruises on her neck. Her brow knitted in a small frown from the pain, he smiled at her discomfort. He enjoyed seeing her disturbed and flustered. Her eyelids fluttered softly open as she regained consciousness.

"You have quite the temper, Miss Burke," Ruvik said in his deep, rough voice. The girl's eyes widened in surprise as she realized that the man before her was no mere dream. She raised up abruptly and moved to the opposite side of the bed.

"Where am I?" She asked, looking anxiously around the small room.

"That is not what I wish to discuss," she gave him a confused look at his words. "I wish to discuss your temper, Miss Burke." She stared at him for a moment, clearly pondering her next move, but she did as she was told and answered him. At least she was more intelligent than she was stubborn. She took in a long, deep breath, presumably to gather her nerves.

"I used to be very calm and timid. I kind of just slipped into the background of the world. I was comfortable there," she let out a weary sigh. "But being constantly surrounded by the dead took that away from me. I am always on edge, waiting for the next interruption and aggravation to enter into my life. I had to grow a back bone and learn to stick up for myself or else I would have been completely overwhelmed. I had to change to guarantee my survival but…" She bit her lower lip and looked at the ground, it was clear that the girl did not wish to continue but Ruvik always got his answers.

"Continue," he said tersely. She looked up at him with her big, green eyes. A darkness seemed to have entered into their depths.

"I am afraid…I am afraid that I have lost myself in my attempt to maintain my sanity. I used to be patient, understanding, and eager to help others," she shook her head slightly, as though in disbelief. "I am selfish now and have a very low tolerance for stupidity and unexpected annoyances." She sounded defeated, small. He squinted his eyes inquisitively at her.

"Were you not trying to help that woman when I first encountered you?" He inquired. She dipped her head in affirmation.

"Yes, but if I had ignored someone who was blatantly in trouble then wouldn't that make me a monster?" she asked, her brow wrinkling in consideration. "Then again, I purposely put a man's life in danger."

"Jimenez is not a man. He is filth." He spat out angrily. She smiled slightly at his words.

"That is very true." He lowered himself to her eye level. He wanted to be close to her face to see her expression when he asked his next question. He hoped it would perturb her.

"You told the detective that you would allow no one to 'actively endanger your life'," he gave her a sideways smile that held a hint of cruelty. "I have done this to you on several occasions now and I have yet to incur such wrath." To his disappointment, she gave him a thoughtful smirk instead of the disconcerted expression he had wanted.

"Of course not, I am not that stupid. You obviously have God like powers that are, unfortunately, beyond my comprehension. Besides, you have made it abundantly clear that you are by no means an ally. I can't get angry at someone who has told me from the beginning that they intend to make my life a living hell. A person pretending to be an ally on the other hand." She gave him a dark look. "That is a different story." Her last words sent a thrill through him. He could not deny that she was an interesting specimen. She was discerning, resolute, and seemed to possess above average intelligence. She had also managed to physically assault Jimenez on two occasions which was very pleasant for him to experience. There was something off putting about what she had previously said, though. She had mentioned that the undead had proven to be quite the distraction. He had not taken that into consideration. That annoyed him greatly. He would have to find out more about her ability. First, he still had to ascertain whether or not she was a fraud.

"Why do you care so much about my temper?" She asked him suddenly, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. For the second time this girl had surprised him. It was becoming a nuisance. In truth, he did not know why he had questioned her about her temper. There were much more pertinent questions he could have asked her. Should have asked her. So why didn't he? He had the disturbing feeling that it had something to do with the fact that he enjoyed her fury. But that was not something he wished to ponder any further.

"I found it an interesting aspect of your personality. I wished to know more about it, and now I do." He said in a cold, clipped tone. She looked uneasy at his words but she nodded her head and looked away from him. She once again examined the room she was in. He decided it was prudent to turn their conversation to relevant matters. Time was of the essence, after all. "You have yet to prove to me that you are a telepath, Miss Burke." When her eyes found her book bag in a corner of the room, a light of excitement danced in their depths. Her wandering attention annoyed him. He was not one to be ignored.

"You have yet to find a reasonable way for me to prove it to you." She said in a nonchalant voice. His brow furrowed in anger, she had taken her impudence too far. He transported himself in front of her and grabbed her chin roughly between two of his fingers, fear quickly seeped into her eyes. Good. The sheep should always fear the wolf.

"You will look at me when I am addressing you, do you understand?" He said in a heated voice. She tried to nod but she couldn't due to his powerful grip on her chin.

"Y-yes, I understand," she said in a small voice. He gave her a sadistic smile.

"That's a good girl." He said, releasing her chin and stepping away from her. "I saw the MRI and EEG scans of your brain. There was nothing abnormal. If you did indeed have the ability to speak with the dead then there should be a variance from a normal person's brain. Yet there is nothing."

"I know," she said sheepishly. "You are not the first person to point that out. There is a theory that I have but I have been too afraid to admit it to myself, nonetheless others." A sadness seemed to overtake her. He looked at her unblinkingly as she spoke, taking in every word. Even the smallest fluctuation of a syllable could have a deeper meaning.

"And what is this theory?"

"That the problem is not with my brain," she paused briefly. "It's with my soul." He let out a low, mocking laugh.

"There is no such thing," he said contemptuously. She gave him an odd look. He thought it might be pity but that was a ridiculous notion.

"Of course there is. I see people's souls all the time." She looked away briefly and let out a small laugh before returning her gaze to his. "Or at least I used to see them all the time. I honestly don't know which is worse. This place with zombies that can hurt me but can't talk or the real world where the dead can't hurt me but can certainly talk up a storm." She gave him a sad smile. "I guess I just can't win." He still did not know if she were a real psychic or not, but it was clear she certainly believed that she was one.

"And what do you think is wrong with your soul to cause such a phenomenon, Miss Burke?"

"Easy, I died and I wasn't supposed to come back." His eyes widened at her declaration. Her files had made no mention of a near death experience.

"How is this the first time I am hearing of this?" He asked angrily, he did not like to have information withheld from him. "Surely, one of your previous doctors would have made note of this in your case study?" She gave him a guilty look and rubbed her arms absentmindedly.

"That's because I didn't tell any of them." He narrowed his eyes.

"Why would you do something so foolish?"

"Because what happened was even more astounding than my ability to hear the dead." Her words peaked his curiosity. What an interesting development.

"And what is that?" He urged in his low, hoarse voice.

"Someone who was already dead brought me back to life." He felt a brief moment of excitement rush through him. What a delightful turn of events. Could it possibly be true? Before he could continue his questioning, a feeling of alarm entered into his brain. Someone was doing something that they weren't supposed to.

"Unfortunately, I must leave you for the moment. There is something that needs my immediate attention. I recommend you use this space to good use but I wouldn't stay here for any great length of time. If you remain here longer than necessary, you could end up trapped here." Her eyebrows rose in astonishment.

"What do you mean?" She asked nervously.

"Think of this place as a terminal. A resting point or middle ground between both of our brains. Remaining here too long could severe the link from both of our minds, leaving your consciousness stranded with nowhere to go. You will be trapped within this limbo forever. It has already happened once."

"Wait, how could we be between both of our minds? I don't understand." He smiled at her and tilted his head towards her book bag.

"Perhaps some reading would do you some good, Miss Burke." He disappeared.

X X Sophie's Point of View X X

Sophie scurried off of the bed and grabbed the book bag. She tore it open and dumped the contents on the floor. There were numerous manila folders and a couple of notepads and books. Sophie glanced through the folders until she found her name. The folder was rather small compared to some of the others but she guessed it was understandable since her and Jimenez had yet to work together one on one. She opened it greedily and scanned through the pages. Most of it was things that she had already seen or was of irrelevance; brain scans, doctor's and priest's summaries of her condition and possible ways to fix it, medication lists, and private doctor notes which mainly talked about their fear of her. There was nothing useful. She threw it to the side in a huff. That was anticlimactic. She looked at the books and discovered that one of them was actually a journal. She picked it up with shaking hands. This was it. She just knew it. She slowly opened the journal and flipped toward the more recent entries. Her name appearing on one of the pages caught her attention and she read.

_Journal Entry 639, April 15_

_Today I received a letter from Miss Sophie Burke, the girl that Ruvik had expressed interest in. I had done as he asked and sent a letter of interest to her current physician, a Dr. Mayer, and it appears that he has indeed steered Miss Burke's interest in our direction. When I asked Ruvik about his interest in the girl he said that he wished to study the mind of a supposed medium or, at the very least, someone under the impression that they are one. I do not believe him. I have noticed his selection in subjects as of late: Miss Burke, Mr. Rankin, and my patient, Leslie Withers. He is going after people with unique abilities. STEM must be complete, despite his continued insistence that it is not yet ready. I must act quickly. Ruvik has become unpredictable and unstable as of late. Especially ever since Leslie came back from his session in STEM semi-intact. I will have to contact Them to get their permission to proceed. I will still contact Miss Burke in order to bring her to Beacon Mental Hospital. I am certain that attaining her ability would please Them._

Sophie looked up from the journal in confusion. How could they attain her ability? And what the hell was STEM? She flipped through the journal for a few minutes until she found a promising earlier entry.

_Journal Entry 502, January 3_

_Today was another failure with STEM. This was Ruvik's first attempt at using the machine with two normal civilians but the result was the same as when the insane were used; their cognizance fused together until there was nothing of their individual conscious remaining. Ruvik alone seems to be immune from this phenomenon. This has done nothing to defuse his overly large ego. He sees himself as a God and the rest of us as mere puppets for his amusement. I had had such high hopes for this experiment. I thought for certain that people of sound mind would have been strong enough to keep their individualism. I admit that I feel guilty to have stolen the lives of two ordinary, innocent people. I must make sure that their deaths meant something._

So that's what STEM was! It was a machine that linked people's minds together! That was where they must be, inside of STEM. It was very disconcerting that no one besides Ruvik seemed to be able to maintain their consciousness while in the machine. She hoped they were able to work out that particular kink. Then again, they must have. Ruvik had said that there were beings who were still independent him. She flipped ahead a few pages.

_Journal Entry 527, February 29_

_Success! A patient, Leslie Withers, has successfully been connected to Ruvik and STEM and has managed to return. Just as Ruvik predicted. Unfortunately, the patient seems to have lost a bit more of his mind while under. He now babbles more and constantly repeats himself. His ability to form complex sentences appears to be lost. Nonetheless, this is the first glimmer of hope that STEM has given us. They will be pleased by our progress._

Out of curiosity, Sophie glanced through the folders until she found what she was looking for: Leslie's folder. The first page revealed him to be twenty five years old. She never would have guess him to be that old. He looked like a teenager still. She read on to find out that he had been abandoned as a child and that he had displayed unique abilities such as precognition and emulating others. She returned her attention back to the journal and returned to the later entries.

_Journal Entry 642, April 30_

_We have done it! We have successfully removed Ruvik's brain and have integrated it into STEM. Unfortunately, we have to act quickly in order to integrate Mr. Rankin into Ruvik's mind. Preferably, we would have tested other, less valuable people, first but time is running short. Mr. Rankin's health is failing fast. They have made it very clear that They will be grievously upset if he should die without his abilities being kept intact within STEM. I will need a small miracle for the transition to work._

Sophie felt a bit nauseous. They removed Ruvik's brain from his body and made it a part of STEM? She shivered at the thought of it. Once again she returned her attention to the manila folders until she found Mr. Rankin's. His paperwork revealed him to be an eighty two year old man who suffered from a litany of health issues: cataracts, strokes, liver disease, and lung cancer. It was nothing short of miraculous that he lived as long as he did. What was really interesting was the abilities that he possessed: telekinesis and astral projection. Sophie had a cold realization. Did Ruvik figure out how to combine these abilities? Is that how he was able to move about the hospital in the real world? That thought was a frightening one. If she was right, Ruvik was far stronger and intelligent than she could have possibly imagined. She quickly returned her attention to the journal and skimmed through the pages. From what she could gather, Mr. Rankin had died during his connection with STEM after ten days. To Jimenez's good fortune, altered brain wavelengths within Ruvik's own mind seemed to indicate that the experiment had been a success. Jimenez's superiors, the elusive They, were pleased with the results and wanted Leslie to be integrated immediately. They seemed to believe that Leslie's knack for emulation would make it easier for others to integrate with Ruvik. That would explain why Jimenez was so determined to keep Leslie away from Ruvik. If Ruvik were able to integrate easily with people than his power could grow exponentially. He could have people's memories, thoughts, and emotions much quicker than before. That was no good for her if he was intent on having her ability to speak with the dead. It was also unfortunate that it appeared acquiring such abilities meant death for the original host. Sophie came to the final journal entry and she couldn't help but let out a small gasp of surprise.

_Journal Entry 664, May 17_

_I saw Ruvik. I know it was him. They do not believe me, they think that I've either gone senile or am overworked. They are wrong. I do not know how he did it. It must have been something to do with his connection to Mr. Rankin. They want me to connect Leslie with Ruvik once more so that he can absorb his abilities, I expressed my reluctance to do so. They made it clear that I have no choice in the matter but I have to find a way to stop the procedure. It does not help that Miss Burke is expected to arrive within the week and They will doubtlessly want me to connect her shortly after Leslie. Thankfully, a power outage has enveloped the entire city. I can only hope it lasts a few days to buy me some time until I can figure out what to do. They also revealed to me that they would like to connect their leader to STEM in order to absorb all of the abilities that Ruvik is expected to take in. I warned them that Ruvik is extremely powerful but they seem confidant in their leader's ability to overpower Ruvik. On the bright side, if They are right, it would mean the end of Ruvik. How I have longed for such a day._

Sophie highly doubted that Ruvik knew about this. It was nice knowing something that he didn't. She had to figure out a way to use this to her advantage. She had to be smart about this. She started to collect the materials and put them back into her bag. She had just taken in a lot of information and needed some time to process everything that she had learned. As she was putting the last of the files in the bag something caught her eye, another journal. This journal was older and had a distinctive feminine binding. What was this doing in here? She opened up the cover to the first page. Who was Laura Victoriano?

X X

I hope I was able to keep Ruvik in character. He's fairly difficult to write when he's having lengthy conversations with someone. I am sorry if the journal entries were a bit confusing since they jumped around chronologically. I thought it made more sense realistically since she obviously did not have time to read the entire journal from start to finish. I know if it were me in that position, I would randomly flip through it looking for key words to get my attention. Which is more or less what I had her do. Please don't forget to review! Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

We meet again! I am afraid I may have upset you guys with the last chapter because I didn't get any feedback from anyone. If I did, please let me know. If I went in a direction you're not comfortable with, please tell me. Also, constructive criticism is always welcomed. There is no Sophie and Ruvik interaction in this chapter but I do have a Ruvik POV section. Enjoy and please give me any feedback that you might have!

X X

Sophie gently opened the door to the hospital room and peered into the corridor. Ruvik had said that this place was some sort of resting point between their minds. Did that also mean it was safe? She opened the door a bit more to get a better view but the old hinges creaked loudly through the empty hallway. Why did all doors seem to hate her life recently? Well, there goes any attempt at being subtle. She let out a defeated sigh and opened up the door the rest of the way and stepped out into the hallway.

"I have been expecting you," a monotone female voice said to her left. Sophie let out a yip of surprise and jumped away from the unexpected voice. She grabbed her chest, willing her heart to slow its rapid beating. She quickly peered around the door and looked the woman over. She appeared to be a nurse and, miraculously, completely sane. Then again, appearances could be misleading.

"Y-you scared me." Sophie stuttered out, slightly out of breath from the shock. The woman gave her a coy smile.

"I apologize, that was not my intention." She turned away from Sophie and started to walk down the hallway. Sophie was a bit taken aback by her sudden departure but she decided to follow her. Sophie needed some answers, after all.

"Wait, what is this place exactly? Who are you?" The woman glanced over her shoulder to Sophie and gave her the same demure smile.

"You know what this place is. You should hurry to the lockers. You are running out of time." Lockers? What lockers? More importantly, how much time did she have left? Ruvik had said her mind could become imprisoned in here. That did not sound like a pleasant prospect. He had also said…wait a minute.

"Are you the person that Ruvik told me about? The one who got trapped here?" The woman did not respond to her question. Why did everyone have to be so mysterious? This whole keeping things to oneself was really starting to grate on her nerves. They entered into what looked like an ordinary waiting room. The woman went behind the check in desk to a door tucked away in a corner.

"You must follow me this way. You do have a key, don't you?" The woman inquired in her aloof voice. A key? Wait, she did have a key! She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small object she had cut out of the man's chest. So this is where it belonged. That must mean Sebastian had been here. He had asked her if she had 'been to that place' after she had presented the key to him, after all.

They went through the back door and entered into another seemingly normal area. There were some computers, charts, and other typical hospital paraphernalia. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a nice change of pace in comparison to the last few places she had ended up. They rounded a corner to be met with a series of metal lockers.

"You may choose one and keep the object you find inside." The mysterious woman told her. She looked down at the key and then at the multiple lockers.

"Why can't I just open all of them and take whatever I want." Sophie questioned, giving the woman a teasing smile. She did not appear to share Sophie's mirth because she gave her a very stern look.

"That is not how this works." Sophie shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine, I'll do things your way." She walked into the locker area and looked at all of the compartments. There were so many of them. Which one should she choose? She noticed that a few of them were already opened. It must have been Sebastian. Sophie decided to just pick a locker at random. It's not like standing around staring at these lumps of metal would suddenly reveal which ones had something useful inside. She pushed the key into the lock and a satisfying click announced the freeing of the mechanism. The door swung open, seemingly on its own. Sophie found herself thrilled at the prospect of what was inside. Could it be a weapon? Zombie deterrent spray? A pack of gum? Her excitement died a swift and brutal death when she saw what was really in the locker: green slime. She picked up the large jar and gave the object a confused look.

"Oh, yes, I am certain this jar of snot will be of great benefit when a zombie is trying to eat my face." She said in a mocking, grave voice.

"You have made a good choice." The woman said, sounding legitimately pleased with her selection. Sophie gave the woman a doubtful look and noticed for the first time that she wore a name tag, 'Tatiana'. So that was her name.

"Ok, Tatiana, how exactly is this," she raised the jar into the air for the woman's inspection. "Supposed to help me." She gave Sophie another one of her smiles and turned around to leave.

"Right this way." Once again Sophie and this woman played follow the leader. They walked back out into the room and something caught her attention that she hadn't seen before: a large metal door. Tatiana opened the heavy object and ushered Sophie through. Sophie walked through the doorway cautiously and looked from side to side. To her right she saw the waiting room that they had walked through a few minutes earlier. To her left was a rather imposing metal chair. It had steel restraints to keep the person immobile and a long needle near the headrest which was clearly meant to penetrate the person's brain stem.

"You may sit in the chair in order to undergo the advancements. The amount of green gel you possess will determine the quantity and quality of improvements you may undertake." Sophie let out a loud and insincere laugh at the nurse's words.

"Oh, Tatiana. It's nice to know that even when trapped in limbo one can still retain their humor." Tatiana gave her an unamused look.

"It would be to your benefit to get in the chair." Sophie looked once again at the chair and shook her head.

"I think not." Tatiana gave her a frown and walked away in what can only be described as a sensual huff.

"Fine, but you will come to regret it." Sophie highly doubted that. She stood there for a minute, examining the contraption before her. Something was fishy about this. It had Ruvik written all over it. What did Tatiana mean by advancements? What could shoving a needle into one's brain do to possibly improve a human being? Did it make them smarter, more focused, teach them a new language? Sophie had a theory about the real purpose of this device but she needed to talk to Sebs or Ruvik again in order to confirm her suspicions. Preferably Sebs.

Sophie turned away from the medieval looking torture device and made her way back out to the waiting room. She needed to find a way out of here. Spending eternity with Tatiana did not seem like an enjoyable possibility. As she was walking, a shining light caught her eye. She turned her head to see a mirror with a large glowing crack. For some reason she was drawn to the light. It made her feel so…safe. As she stepped toward it the crack grew in size and Sophie could have sworn she heard music. It was beautiful and soothing. The light drew her in, mesmerizing her. Consuming her.

"Sophie? Sophie, you need to wake up. Please, wake up for me." Wait, she knew that voice. James? She tried to turn her head away to look for him but the call of the light was too strong. It soon blinded her and she momentarily felt lighter than air. Shortly after, the light slowly dimmed into nothingness and Sophie found herself standing in a derelict supply room. She had to get back to that place as soon as possible. She had to find James. But how?

X X Ruvik's POV X X

Ruvik was displeased at ending his session with the girl early. She had been explaining something charmingly intriguing. The dead resurrecting the living? The prospects of such a phenomenon sent his mind reeling in a million different directions. Once he figured out what was wrong he could correct the interruption and return to the medium to continue his interrogation. It had not escaped his notice that he spent an inordinate amount of time with the girl. He frowned at the unwanted thought. No, the time he spent on her was reasonable. She, supposedly, possesses a very unique gift which he wishes to possess. Unlike with Leslie, he did not have the mental groundwork in place to link their minds properly. Besides, everything else was well underway:

Leslie was on the path to the lighthouse at Beacon, the male detective, Sebs, was falling under Ruvik's influence slowly but surely and the other male detective had been immobile and connected directly to Ruvik's mind since the beginning. Once he awakened, he would quickly lose his mind to Ruvik's world. He was of no use to Ruvik. He was too clear headed, too sure of himself. He would only prove himself a nuisance if he wasn't quickly integrated into Ruvik's mind. Sebastian on the other hand, he had potential. Ruvik had already had a few promising glimpses into Sebastian's mind: a drinking problem, a failing career, a missing wife, and a dead daughter. He was a man nearly broken. The perfect clay to be reshaped and molded into what Ruvik desired. As for the other two…their time would soon come. It was clear that the female detective worked for Jimenez's superiors. He didn't even need to look into her mind to see that. Acting was not her forte. He would let his creatures toy with Jimenez and the female detective a bit longer. Let them stew in their fear. Be consumed by it until it nearly drove them mad. Then he would deal with them. He was looking forward to that moment. No, everything was going smoothly. It was only logical that he would explore his unexpected gift, the medium's abilities, for as long as he could with the time he had.

He walked down the dilapidated hospital wing looking for what called his attention to this area. The sound of running footsteps and gunshots ahead caught his attention. Sure enough, the male detective ran past Ruvik in a perpendicular hallway, closely followed by the multi-armed monster that was his sister. In truth, he was not overly fond of the creature that bore his sister's appearance. In many ways it felt like a mockery to her gentle personality, to his fond memory of her. Nonetheless, he allowed it to remain. In a strange way its presence brought him something akin to comfort, but not quite.

He came to the hallway that the detective and his sister just ran down. They had already disappeared around a corner into a different hallway. He stood there for a moment and looked into the direction where they had come from. There was an entryway into the safe zone not too far away from here. That is why the Laura creature summoned him here. He had sent out a mental message to all of the creatures that no one was to enter into the safe zone. He wanted his time with the girl to be undisturbed by unwanted visitors. He also wanted to keep her isolated from the others, especially Sebastian. They gave each other hope and companionship, the complete opposite feelings that he wanted to foster in them.

The slamming of a gate and the aggravated screams of the Laura creature signaled the escape of the male detective from her deadly clutches. It was of no consequence. Laura had been successful in keeping him away from the safe zone entry. That would give Sophie a bit of time to explore the contents of Jimenez's suitcase. He felt that she earned such a reward after once again physically assaulting Jimenez.

He was about to leave when a brilliant thought came to him. What a delightful idea. He transported himself to where Sebastian was, on a cylindrical winding staircase. Ruvik had positioned himself further down the stairwell in order to force the detective back in the opposite direction, where there was no escape. Ruvik wanted him to feel trapped like the weak animal that he was. When the detective caught sight of Ruvik he let out a curse and started to run away, just as Ruvik had planned. Ruvik leisurely followed him, sporadically transporting himself further up the stairs. Once the detective reached the top, he ran around the landing in a panic. What will you do now _Sebs_? When Ruvik was near the top, the detective pulled out his gun and aimed it at him. Ruvik smiled at his ignorance. Did he really think that mere bullets could harm him here? It was of no matter. Ruvik once again transported himself, this time taking the stairwell with him. The detective went flying through the empty void, eventually roughly hitting the ground of a completely different section of the hospital. Ruvik had purposely put the detective near the other male detective, the one who was immobile. Ruvik was looking forward to watching Sebastian witness the downfall of his partner's sanity. The other detective would quickly succumb to Ruvik's world and become one of his mindless creatures. Would seeing his friend give in to the darkness be the thing that finally breaks Sebastian? Ruvik certainly hoped so. Few things were as pleasing as watching a man's entire being and self-worth shatter into nothing. Oh yes, he was looking forward to that indeed.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit of a filler chapter but I think it's understandable since the last chapter had a lot of revelations and explanations in it. Although, we did find out in this chapter that Ruvik does have some special plans for Sebastian. I hope that my adding the consequence of getting trapped in the safe zone if you stay there too long does not bother anyone. I figured there should be a reason to leave such an area or else, why bother leaving? Please don't forget to review!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello everyone! Unfortunately, I fell victim to winter illnesses so concentrating on writing was difficult. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best! Enjoy!

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Sophie ran down the hallway as fast as she could. Closed doorways flew past her line of sight. She wished that she could stop and test the doors but she had no time. She could still hear the heavy breaths of the zombie right on her heels. If she faltered even the slightest she would die. Every now and then she could feel a rush of air on the back of her neck as the zombie swung its knife at her. So close. He was so close. Up ahead she finally saw what she had desperately been searching for: an open door. She let out a shaky laugh of relief and willed her legs to move a bit faster. As the door came into reaching distance she lunged through the opening and pushed against the door with all of her strength. Unfortunately, the creature on the opposite side was savagely beating against the door. Sophie felt her feet begin to slowly slide away from the door as the creature's strength started to overwhelm her own. In one last bid of desperation, Sophie slammed her body against the door as hard as she could. Luck must have been on her side because the click of the door closing filled her ears. She collapsed onto the floor and sucked in large breaths of air. That was way too close.

When she had first been transported to the supply room she had searched the area for a glowing mirror to bring her back to that place. To bring her back to James' voice. Her efforts had proven fruitless. To make matters worse, the only things she found in the room were bullets and more of the slime. All things completely useless to her. She put the bullets into her bag in case she came across Sebs again but she left all of the slime there, including the one she had gotten from the safe zone. Unfortunately for her, the useless supply room would be the highlight of her little adventure since she left Tatiana. Soon after leaving the supply room, she encountered a strange man in a mask carrying a gun. He let off a shot at her but thankfully he missed. She found a hiding place inside of a small locker but she got trapped in there for ten minutes as he searched for her. When she was finally able to leave the cramped enclosure her long legs had gone numb. She then took off limping to only be attacked by another one of those invisible creatures with a tentacle face. She was able to break free but he had scratched up her throat and face pretty bad. She was able to walk around for a good fifteen minutes without incident when the zombie with the knife turned the corner of the hallway ahead of her, chasing after her. But she had gotten away. She was safe, at least for now.

Sophie put her arm on the ground to lift herself up but a shooting pain halted her movements. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the cause of her anguish: a large cut on her arm. The creature had gotten her. The adrenaline must have dulled the pain during the terrifying encounter but now that she was safe, the pain was coming through with a vengeance. Slamming her arm against the door probably didn't help matters either. Sophie opened up her book bag in order to take out the medical supplies and treat her wound. As she poured alcohol over the cut she couldn't help but let out a cry of pain. This must have excited the creature because he started to howl and pound against the door with a newfound ferocity. She glanced up at the shaking door, stained with her blood, and noticed that it didn't have a lock. She didn't think the creature knew how to open doorknobs but the lack of a lock still made her uneasy. Besides, the masked man seemed more refined then the zombies she had previously encountered. She had a bad feeling that he did indeed know how to open a door. Fear once again taking hold, she quickly wrapped up her arm and threw everything back into her bag. She gingerly lifted herself up from the floor, trying to avoid putting too much weight on her injured arm. She was about to walk toward the back door but the undeniable sound of running footsteps from behind the closed surface gave her pause. Something was coming, and fast. She desperately looked around the room for a place to hide. The only place though was a row of cabinets near the ground. Without a second thought she dove toward the small doors and threw them open. She moved around the glass beakers and squeezed her body into the small enclosure, shutting the doors to the best of her ability. A small opening allowed her to see the door where the zombie still attempted to enter. From the opposite side of the room, Sophie heard the back door open and footsteps entering the room. She idly wondered if they could hear her rapidly beating heart but brushed the ridiculous thought away.

"Hello? Who's in here?" Sophie's ears perked up at the sound of the female's voice, relief flooding through her. The female detective had finally made an appearance. Before she could signal her whereabouts a disturbing new sound echoed throughout the space. Someone was trying to kick the door down! Sophie watched in horror as the door splintered and cracked, finally bursting open from the immense force. As Sophie had feared, the man in the mask had shown up. Although, he hadn't opened up the door like she had thought he would. The two creatures came running into the room but they only made it a few steps before they fell suddenly to the floor, blood splaying from the back of their heads. The female detective was a good shot. Sophie watched as the detective came into view, standing over the creatures to make sure they were dead.

"You can come out now, psychic" she said in a low, even voice. Sophie's eyes widened in surprise. How did she know she was in there? She opened the cupboard and rolled gracelessly from her hiding place. She stood up to face the detective, a smile on her face.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Things have been crazy! But how did you know?" The woman did not return Sophie's smile. She just stared at her blankly, making Sophie feel like a fool.

"I heard you cry out in pain from this room." Sophie gave an embarrassed smile and showed the detective her arm.

"Yeah, unfortunately that zombie got me in the arm and I couldn't help but cry out when I was treating it. Alcohol stings like a bitch."

"Have you seen anyone else?"

"I was with Sebastian, Jimenez, and Leslie a while ago but we got separated by Ruvik. Wait, do you even know who Ruvik is?" The thought of actually knowing something in this world that she could explain to someone was thrilling.

"I know of him. So you don't know anyone's whereabouts?" Sophie couldn't help but feel disappointed at the woman's declaration. It seemed like everyone but her had a pretty firm grasp of this place.

"Are you injured anywhere else?" The detective asked, giving a significant look to Sophie's scratched up face and neck. Sophie shook her head. Sure, she had a few scrapes and bruises but nothing of great concern. "How about weapons?" Sophie shook her head again. It felt like this woman was speaking down to her. As though Sophie were a child. Yet another person in this place with an uppity attitude. To Sophie's surprise, the woman pulled out a gun and handed it to her.

"I don't know how to use this." The woman gave her an exasperated look. Sophie knew the basic concept, of course: point and shoot but other things such as reloading and how to get the bullet into the shaft eluded her. The female gave Sophie a quick rundown on how to properly use the gun and made Sophie demonstrate for her until she was satisfied. It was actually very simple, she just hoped that aiming would be as simple.

"I cleared out a section of the hallway ahead but there is no telling if it is still safe. I must ask you to remain silent as we move so as not to attract any unwanted attention." Sophie frowned at the woman's words. This was going to be a long journey with this woman constantly berating her the entire time.

"Listen. I don't know who you are but if you don't stop talking down to me we're going to have problems." The woman squinted her eyes at Sophie condescendingly.

"I am Detective Kidman and you are going to do what I say when I say to do it if you want to remain alive. It is my job to get you to safety and I won't let anyone, including you, get in the way of that. Now you are going to follow me and you are going to do it silently." The detective went out the back door then, leaving Sophie astonished and angry. This woman's social graces were severely lacking. She hoped they ran into someone else soon so she wouldn't have to be alone with her for too long. Even Ruvik would be a welcomed sight. Which was a disturbing thought.

Sophie followed after the woman, putting a decent distance between them. She didn't want to be any closer than necessary to such an unpleasant person. After about thirty minutes of awkward silence, they came upon a large pair of swinging doors. The detective pushed through them, her gun drawn and scanned the room for any trouble. Sophie had her gun ready as well but she didn't think anything would be in the room. There had been a noticeable lack of any zombies or creatures since they left the room. The detective had said she cleared some of the way ahead but she couldn't have cleared this much of the building. Besides, they had stopped seeing dead bodies after one minute into their little walk.

The detective took a few steps further into the large room, scanning the upper balcony section but nothing appeared. The detective let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her gun, putting it back into its holster. Sophie lowered her gun as well but she had nowhere to put it so she kept it in her hand.

"This isn't right. We should have run into something by now." The detective said in an angry voice.

"I personally prefer no zombies over a horde of zombies," Sophie said, making the woman glare at her once more. Sophie actually agreed with Kidman that something was amiss but she didn't want to let her know that.

"What do you think this is?" The detective asked, walking toward a large glass enclosure in the center of the room.

"It's an archaic form of treatment that they used to use in hospitals. They believed that submerging subjects in freezing water would cure them of their mental illness. I think this one was supposed to also instill fear. Make them believe that they were about to drown. Nothing like a large dose of cold water and fear to clear the head." The detective reached the large glass door of the enclosure and opened it, peering inside.

"What a cruel thing to do to a person."

"Agreed, but I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to drop your weapon and get into the box." Sophie said, cocking her gun and pointing it at Kidman's back. Kidman's whole boy froze at her words.

"You don't know what you're doing," the detective said, slowly reaching toward her gun.

"I know that if you make any sudden moves with that gun I'll shoot you in the back. From this distance I highly doubt I'll miss." Sophie said in a deadly serious tone. The detective took her gun out of its holster and placed it on the ground. "Now get in there." The detective did as she was told, and stepped into the glass enclosure. Sophie quickly stepped forward and closed the door, locking it into place.

"Why are you doing this?" The detective asked, glaring furiously at Sophie. Sophie took a few steps back and gave the detective a considering look.

"Earlier when I asked you how you knew about me I believe that you misunderstood the question."

"What are you talking about? You're acting foolish. Let me out." Sophie disregarded Kidman's words and started to pace in front of the box.

"You see, I wasn't asking how you knew a person was in the room. I knew you must have heard me cry out in pain. No, what I was asking was how you knew about my powers. You called me 'psychic' earlier even though I never told you about my abilities." The detective noticeably paled at Sophie's words.

"I heard Jimenez say it back in the ambulance." Kidman said in an annoyed, slightly strained voice.

"I was in that ambulance too, remember, and my abilities didn't come up. Let's try this again, shall we?" Sophie stepped forward to a lever on the box and pulled. Water started to pour into the base of the box, Kidman looked at her feet in panic. Just as Sophie had hoped, this lever controlled the water intake. "Now how did you know?!"

"You're insane! Let me out!" Kidman screamed, banging her fists against the glass wall. Sophie pulled the lever back up, stopping the flow of the water.

"I am not crazy, I am just sick and tired of people playing games with me. Now answer my question."

"I told you already, Jimenez said it in the ambulance." Sophie let out an exaggerated sigh and pulled the lever down once more.

"How about I tell you my theory. I think you work for the same shady organization that Jimenez works for and that's how you know about my abilities. Jimenez warned me that someone else on the ambulance could work for Them and it appears I found that person." The water was up to Kidman's ankles now. There was an interesting mixture of defiance and fear in Kidman's eyes.

"What else did Jimenez tell you?" The detective asked in a quipped voice. Pleased with the indirect admission, Sophie stopped the water once more.

"I know quite a bit actually. I know that we're inside of Ruvik's mind right now, that your organization wants to get Ruvik to absorb supernatural abilities and then transfer them to your leader, and that any powers Ruvik gets will kill the original host. Did I leave anything out?" Kidman noticeable ground her teeth in frustration. Sophie couldn't help but smile, "I'll take that as a 'no' then."

"You seem to have everything figured out so why put me in here."

"There are a few things which I still don't know. First off, does your organization know that I am here." Kidman paused before answering. Probably deciding whether or not to cooperate.

"No, we only know what Jimenez tells us so we weren't expecting you for a few more days either." Sophie was relieved, if they didn't know she was here then she could have a few days to get into hiding before they suspected anything.

"What's the name of the organization that you work for?" Kidman laughed at Sophie's question.

"I will not be answering that." Sophie shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's no matter, I can find that out once I leave this place. Ghosts are everywhere and they're all eager to talk to me." Sophie took a step forward and placed her hand on the lever, the threat clear in her eyes. "Now this is the most important question. Are you going to come after me once we escape Ruvik's mind?" Kidman looked away from Sophie, mulling the question over. After a few moments of tense silence Kidman returned her gaze to Sophie's.

"I see no harm in giving you a few days head start." Kidman said in a low, even voice. Sophie gave her a sad look.

"You're a terrible liar, Kidman." Sophie pulled down the lever and turned around to leave. Kidman once again pounded against the glass.

"So you're going to kill me? You're not a killer, Sophie. I am sorry, but I have a job to do and that job is to make sure your powers can be absorbed by Ruvik." Sophie turned around in anger, eyes blazing in fury.

"Doing so will kill me! What right do you have to do such a thing?"

"You have no idea what They are capable of. It would just be easier for you to give in. No matter what you do or where you hide we will find you." Sophie gave the detective a dark look.

"You have misspoken detective, you said 'we' but you will not be getting out of that box."

"Please, please don't do this, Sophie. Please be better than me. I am sorry about what I have to do to you but if I don't do it then they'd kill me." Sophie's eyes widened in surprise. Kidman wasn't lying about that, she could tell, They'd actually kill her. Sophie let out a small sigh and returned to the box.

"I am sorry, but I have to do what I can to survive." Sophie pushed the lever back up, stopping the water. Kidman looked at her in surprise. "Which means I won't be letting you out of that box but I am not going to drown you either. I am not a monster."" Kidman nodded her head in understanding.

"Let me give you a piece of advice then. Kill Leslie." Sophie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why should I kill Leslie? He's just some insane kid." Sophie asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Leslie is insane but Ruvik can enter his mind."

"Well, yeah, wasn't that the whole point of connecting Leslie to Ruvik in the first place?"

"No, Ruvik is to absorb Leslie's abilities not enter into his body. If he does that then he can return to the real world. If he hasn't absorbed your abilities by that time then he will hunt you down until he does. Then you will have Ruvik _and_ the organization hunting after you." Sophie furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Wait, if Ruvik could escape through Leslie's body then why were you planning to connect him again?"

"We could take steps to prevent such a thing if we were in control of the procedure. Unfortunately, we weren't counting on Ruvik being able to project himself into the real world again. If you want to increase your chances of surviving then you must kill Leslie." Sophie shook her head.

"No, I can't. He's too innocent. I would never be able to live with myself." Kidman slammed her fist against the glass.

"You're a fool!" The detective yelled. Suddenly, Kidman let out a gasp and backed herself against the opposite side of the box, fear clear in her eyes. Sophie was about to ask her what was wrong when a burned hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the lever.

"And you're dead." Ruvik said in his deep voice. Sophie watched in horror as Ruvik pulled the lever down and then made it disappear. Before she could protest, Sophie felt Ruvik grab onto her shoulder and they disappeared. A moment later, Sophie found herself standing in a large, lavish bedroom. She whirled around to face Ruvik.

"Who do you think you are? I needed her! How am I going to get the ghosts to infiltrate Them when she's the only person I know who's directly connected to that organization!" Sophie yelled, taking a step forward and looking directly into Ruvik's eyes. "It would also be highly beneficial to have someone connected to that organization who felt like I spared their life. Now bring me back there so that I can save that horrible woman!" Ruvik grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, almost to the point of pain.

"What a clever girl you are," he said before bending down, kissing Sophie roughly on the mouth.

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There's chapter nine for you. I know that Jimenez is also connected to the organization but I like to think he's more indirectly connected (so having ghosts follow him around to find out more information would be pointless). The next chapter will all be about Sophie and Ruvik interaction, which there will be a lot more of in the story from here on out. Please don't forget to review!


	10. Chapter 10

Hello! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! They're such great encouragements. I wish I could have gotten this chapter out a bit sooner but I've started playing Dying Light and it's been taking up a lot of my free time. This chapter is all from Ruvik's perspective and just to warn everyone, this chapter does have some sexual content. Of course, that's to be expected since I rated this story mature. Enjoy!

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She wasn't here. Ruvik had searched the entire mansion but the girl was nowhere to be found. He didn't think that she would have left, it was safe here. It would be foolish for her to leave. That left him with the only other conclusion: she hadn't made it to the mansion. He had set-up the mirror transportation to bring her here but if she had fought against the transfer, it could have booted her out in a different location. Of course the girl would do something so troublesome. He closed his eyes in frustration and tried to sense the girl's whereabouts. Sure enough, one of his masked creatures gave Ruvik his confirmation. Ruvik let out a curse under his breath and transported himself to the area she had been spotted. He had to find her fast. This was one of the more dangerous areas of his realm. That's why he had placed the female detective here. After a few minutes of transporting himself around the hospital he came upon a promising sight, one of his mindless zombies throwing himself against a door. He walked down the hallway at a leisurely pace. He saw no reason to rush, a bit of fear could do the girl some good. Keep her in line. He heard a cry of pain from behind the door, it was short lived but loud. Ruvik didn't sense any of his creatures in the room so he doubted that she was under attack. The medium's cry of pain had enthused the zombie, giving his attempts to break into the room a new fervor. Suddenly, from the hallway behind the zombie, a masked creature appeared and started to kick at the door. Ruvik smirked at the arrival. With two of them beating at the door, they were certain to enter. He would stop them before they could harm the girl but he saw no harm in making her squirm a little.

As the two creatures burst through the door Ruvik prepared to transport himself the rest of the way but the sound of gunshots stopped him. He snarled in anger, the female detective had unwantedly appeared and killed the creatures. _He _was supposed to kill them. If there was one thing he hated above all else it was for someone to disrupt his plans. He transported himself by the door and listened to their conversation. It was clear the female detective was the complete opposite of the male detective, Sebs: condescending, aloof, sure of herself. She was not breaking down like he had hoped. It was important that she and Jimenez suffered above all the others. They were both responsible for his entrapment. They had to pay for their impudence. Ruvik listened to the medium try to stand up for herself against the detective's patronizing manner but the detective put her right back down before exiting the room through the back door. The medium must be fuming. He wished that he could see her face. He enjoyed her anger. Unfortunately, now was not the time to reveal himself. He had a plan in the works but he needed some time to set it up. He sent out a mental message to all of the creatures nearby to move to a certain area of the hospital. He couldn't risk the telepath getting hurt while he was away. Besides, they were an intricate part of his plan.

He transported himself to a secluded part of the hospital where less savory experiments took place. He soon found what he was looking for: a large glass enclosure where the patient was slowly submerged in water. He had used this contraption quite a few times throughout the years, it was one of his favorites. It was thrilling to see the fear in their eyes as they realized that they had no control, no power over whether they lived or died. That the continuation of their lives depended completely on him. It was thrilling. He touched the cool surface, silently reveling at the familiar touch of the glass beneath his fingertips. He then transported himself, the contraption, and the piping to a large room not too far from the detectives and the medium. He placed the glass box in the center of the room and made the piping fly through the air, twisting, and expanding before connecting to the water pipelines. He couldn't help but smirk, he had fully regained his power. Now the real fun could begin.

He had looked into Kidman's mind and saw that she had a crippling fear of drowning. Thus far she had endured his world fairly well and that was unacceptable. This contraption was certain to change that. To make things even more interesting, the other two detectives were close by as well. There was a chance that they could save her but he wasn't going to make it an easy feat. He had a swarm of creatures waiting behind the doors of the room, eager for their chance to strike. All the male detectives had to do was fight through a relentless torrent of creatures and then find the secondary shut off valve before the detective drowned. He grinned at his own mischievousness. He only wished that he could watch the chaos unfold but he had to get the telepath to safety so he could question her further. There were a few things that he needed her to clear up for him. Ruvik moved himself to one of the upper balconies and waited for the detective and medium to appear. He didn't have to wait long. The duo soon entered the room and the detective was immediately drawn to his contraption. He watched the horror dawn in her eyes as the medium described the purpose of the box. The detective reached for the door of the box and looked into her soon to be prison. She was making this too easy.

"What a cruel thing to do to a person." The detective said in a tone laced with fear. Now was the perfect time to entrap the detective within but the medium raising her gun and pointing it at the detective's back caught his attention. What was she up to?

"Agreed, but I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to drop your weapon and get into the box." The medium said in a cold, level voice. It sent a pleasant shiver throughout his entire body. What an enjoyable turn of events. Ruvik listened with fascination as Sophie demanded to know how the detective knew about her abilities. She was a fairly intelligent female. He couldn't help but admire her for that. A shot of excitement coursed through his veins every time the telepath pulled down the lever, making the water gush in. She was toying with the detective. He smiled at her ruthlessness. The more he discovered about this girl the more she thrilled him. He was pleased to see the look of anger come over the detective's face when the medium told her everything she knew. It appeared her perusal of Jimenez's papers had proven beneficial. The medium then questioned the detective, who answered begrudgingly. Things got interesting when the detective did not back down from her determination to entrap the medium within his mind. Such a dutiful little pawn the organization had found. Ruvik thought for certain that the medium was going to leave her there to die but to his disgust she stopped the water once more. Just when he was starting to admire her, she proved herself to be weak. Just like everyone else. He let them speak a bit longer, inwardly hoping that the girl would once again pull down the lever. But the medium proved to be a disappointment. To irritate him even further, the detective warned the girl about Leslie. The less people who knew about his ability to escape through Leslie, the better. Thankfully, the girl was firm in her declaration not to harm the boy. At least in this her unfortunate regard for others' lives benefited him.

He grew weary of their back and forth, it bored him. Besides, the other detectives were close by so he and the girl had to leave before they arrived. When the detective declared the medium a fool he took that as a cue for him to intercede. He declared the detective dead and pulled the lever down, starting the water once more. He made the lever disappear into nothingness, not wanting to make it easy for the male detectives to save this female. He then grabbed a hold of the telepath and transported her to a room in the mansion, where she was supposed to have gone in the first place.

He was slightly taken aback when the girl turned on him in anger. He had not expected her to be so heated about potentially killing the detective, especially when she had originally planned to kill her herself.

"Who do you think you are? I needed her! How am I going to get the ghosts to infiltrate Them when she's the only person I know who's directly connected to that organization!" She said in a heated fury. The thrill from before once again pumped through his veins. She was a vision when she was enraged. "It would also be highly beneficial to have someone connected to that organization who felt like I spared their life. Now bring me back there so that I can save that horrible woman!" So that was why she had spared the detective's life. How manipulative and shrewd of her. He shouldn't have doubted her. She had proven herself more than willing to do whatever it takes to survive. He couldn't help himself. He grabbed her chin and lifted it forcefully to his face.

"What a clever girl you are," he said, his voice heavy from desire. He bent down the few inches to her delectable mouth and placed his scarred lips over her soft ones. He felt her body stiffen from the shock. Not wanting for her to back away from him, he placed one hand at the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. He moved his other hand from her chin to her hair, entangling his fingers in her thick locks. He deepened the kiss, biting softly on her lower lip and caressing it with his tongue. The girl let out a low moan and opened her mouth to him, dipping her tongue into his mouth and playing with his tongue. He returned the favor with fervor, licking and playing with her tongue and caressing his lips against hers. He let out a low growl and pulled her hips roughly against his, reveling in the friction. He pulled her head back, revealing her neck to him, she let out a small gasp of surprise from the sudden movement. He kissed and licked his way down the expanse of flesh but it wasn't until he bit down and sucked harshly at the juncture of her throat that she let out a cry of pleasure. So the girl liked it a bit rough. Good. He could accommodate that. He continued his attentions to her neck, drinking in her cries of pleasure. She placed one hand behind his head, urging him to continue his ministrations on her neck while her other hand ran down the bare skin of his chest, her nails scraping against his skin.

"Ruvik, please…" she beseeched him. He let out a low moan at the sound of his name on her lips in such ecstasy. He grabbed a hold of her shirt and bra and transported it off her body, throwing the clothes onto the floor. He lowered his head to one of her taut nipples and greedily took it into his mouth. "Bite down on it, please, Ruvik, please." She begged, moving both of her hands to the back of his head, digging her nails into his skin. The pain was exquisite. He obliged her and bit down, she cried out in pleasure. Not being able to take it anymore, Ruvik lifted the girl and dropped her onto the bed. Her eyes were glazed over from desire, her lips red and raw from his kisses. He watched with fascination as her chest rose and fell in rapid secession, her breasts bouncing softly from her intense breathing. She was beautiful and she was _his. _He stepped toward the edge of the bed, the girl ran her hand down his burned chest, admiration clear in her eyes. Her hand rested at the top of his pants, just above his protruding manhood. She looked into his eyes, silently asking for permission to proceed. He smiled at her eagerness and leaned down to kiss her, tasting her exquisite mouth once more. He pulled back to look into her eyes.

"Give into me completely. Physically and mentally. I can make you feel things beyond your comprehension if you just give in." He said huskily, running his right hand down her curves as he caressed her hair with his left. Her breathing became more erratic at his words and ministrations. He moved his hand to her knee and slowly moved it up her inner thigh in lazy circles. Her breath hitched at the sensation. He leaned down, their lips mere inches apart. "Just give me what I want, Sophie. Open up to me. Deny me nothing and I will give you ecstasy in its purest form. Just give in." He watched in triumph as she tilted her head up to his own. He felt the barest of touches on his lips before she pulled away from him. Her brow was knitted in consternation.

"No," she said, shaking her head as though trying to clear her mind. "You're messing with me aren't you?" She looked up at his face, studying it intently.

"I don't know what you mean," he said in as level a tone as he could manage. It was difficult to maintain his cold, aloof persona when all he wanted to do was tear off her clothes and feel her naked form beneath him. She pushed him away from her and stood up from the bed, covering her breasts from his heated gaze. She was really starting to aggravate him.

"This is just like that stupid machine back in the safe zone. That's how you get into people's minds, right? The person has to be willing to accept you in. With the machine they have to willing sit in the chair and you promise them heightened senses and abilities and here…" she trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"You spread your legs and I give you mind altering sensations?" He offered, taking delight in her reddened cheeks at his vulgarity. She moved away from him to pick up her bra and shirt, placing the clothes back onto her body. He grimaced at the disappointing turn of events. He hadn't counted on her figuring out that he was also trying to gain entry into her mind. What a nuisance. He had lost the opportunity to not only get an intimate look into her mind but also to satiate his ever growing desires. She finished dressing and ran her hands up and down her arms in comfort, refusing to meet his eyes. Her cheeks were still heated from desire and embarrassment.

"Did you really expect anything less from me?" He asked in a slightly mocking tone. She shook her head.

"No, I guess not."

"I must confess I was surprised when you did not try to deny me at the start of our…activities." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Honestly, I thought about it but then I figured this may be my only opportunity to have sex without dead eyes watching me the entire time. Then again, if you and the organization get their way, this may have been my last chance to be intimate ever again. Besides, you're a very attractive man, even with the burns." She said, turning her gaze to look into his gray eyes, the heat of desire returning to her green depths. "But, of course, you had to mess it all up by being a manipulative dick. So I guess that opportunity is lost."

"For the moment," he said, giving her a significant look. He noticed a shiver run its way down her body at his words. Perhaps another opportunity to indulge in her body would come sooner rather than later. The thought stirred his desires once more but he quelled the feeling. The chance for intimacy was lost for the moment, it was time to move onto other matters. "It is to your good fortune that I was able to establish a direct link between our minds during our brief intimacy." Her eyes filled with surprise and a touch of fear at his words.

"How is that to my good fortune, exactly?"

"Now you have the opportunity to potentially save your life." She perked up at his words.

"How can I do that?"

"You have to show me two memories: the day that you gained your abilities and also a random day from your time as a medium." She looked reluctant at his request.

"How will this help me?"

"Depending on what you show me, I may decide to spare you." A determined look overcame her face.

"Fine, what do I have to do?" He transported himself to stand directly in front of her. He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek.

"Close your eyes and think about the day you acquired your abilities. Concentrate on the first thing you remember from that day." She obliged and closed her eyes. Soon the bedroom began to shift and alter until they were no longer standing in the mansion but the hallway of what looked like an apartment complex. The medium's clothes had changed as well. Instead of wearing jeans and a shirt, she was now wearing a white sundress. She opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. He knew that she couldn't see him. He had made it so she was reliving this moment completely. Subconsciously she would guide herself through the motions but overall it was like she was there again. As though all of the events to come had yet to happen. He watched her raise her hand to the door in front of her and give it a few loud knocks. It had begun.

X X X

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Things got pretty heated there for a minute. I hope I can get the next chapter up soon but the draw of Dying Light is overwhelming. Please don't forget to review!


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